Don't Let Me Go
by delenagas-m
Summary: 5 years ago a horrific event caused Elena Gilbert to flea home right before graduation, leaving everything behind, including her best friend and boyfriend Damon Salvatore. When she attends her high school reunion, she hopes to keep Damon where he's been for years now; out of her life. But when a secret she kept from him all those years ago arises, she's forced to keep him around.
1. Prologue: Rainbows and Unicorns

**A/N: So this is where my new DE fic begins! I decided I'd start with a prologue because idk I wanted to hahah. This fic is AH/AU. It's been highly requested that my next fic would be. I asked you all to give me ideas on what you'd want and the winning one was this one. It was actually a high school love story, but I'm doing it a bit differently (I might try out one of the other ideas after this one if you are still willing to read). This fic will be very different to my last one, but I'm excited!**

 **I don't know how often I will be posting, since I haven't written this one in advance. Hopefully I can catch up and bring you one every week :) Maybe eventually I'll set a day like last time.**

 **Full summary: Five years ago, a life changing event caused Elena Gilbert to flea home, right before her high school graduation. She left everything behind, including her best friend and boyfriend Damon Salvatore. When her friend makes her attend her high school reunion, she hopes to keep Damon where he's been for years now; out of her life. But when a secret she kept from him all those years ago arises, she's forced to keep him around. Will they ever rekindle their flame or will their story end where they left it?**

 **Rated M for smut and language**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or scenes from The Vampire Diaries, though I may use them.**

* * *

 **Prologue: Rainbows and Unicorns**

Elena flicked the steering wheel to the side as she gave way to a passing car. She wouldn't mind being late. Or not going at all for that matter. Even approaching the border of her old home town made her mind shudder with regret. Other than the one event that changed her life and made her move away in the first place, Mystic Falls screamed _rainbows and unicorns._

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

" _You want my painting?" He questioned, turning to Elena completely like she had previously._

" _What is it?" She asked._

" _Rainbows and unicorns." He stated sarcastically._

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

Oh no. Why had she thought that? That's something he used to say all the time. One of his ' _things_ ' that she loved. Or used to love. Just thinking of those words made the veins on her forehead throb ridiculously.

As her beaten up 2001, dolphin blue, ford fiesta edged closer to the _'Welcome To Mystic Falls Virginia'_ sign, she freaked. She pulled over onto the grass patch on the edge of the woods right before the sign and turned the car off.

Why had she come? She had just broken up with Matt – again – and no doubt he was going to be there. She hadn't seen any of her high school friends other than Caroline since she ran away and she really wanted to keep it that way. Excluding Bonnie of course. Was there even one reason why she came? With struggle, she turned the car back on and started to reverse.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked her from the back seat.

"I'm going home, Dyl." She whisper-frowned, glancing at him. She tried not to wake Jeremy in the front seat. He deserved the rest. He had been nice enough to volunteer himself to come with them back to the old house until Elena came back tonight.

"We drove six hours." He groaned, unbuckling and reaching over to tap her on the shoulder. She had to stop now. No way she was driving ahead if he didn't have his seatbelt on. She learnt that mistake all too well when her parents died. "Don't you wanna see all your friends?"

"Not all of them are my friends." She smiled softly, knowing she was referring to one in particular. Even if she was worried, none of it could show on her face. Not in front of him.

"Stop feeling sad and go see your friends." He sighed, moving back into his seat and buckling his seatbelt back up. "And aunt Jenna."

"Dylan." Elena whined, glancing at him one last time. "Fine. But only for Jenna."

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

" _Guess. There can't be that many D names." He shook his head._

" _Actually, there are over 100 really common boys names that start with D." She corrected him._

" _Well maybe my name's not that common." He replied, still not looking at her._

" _That makes it harder." She raised a brow. "Fine, I'll guess." She shrugged, blinking in thought. "Um…"_

" _You said there are heaps of boys names that start with D, and you can't think of one?" He asked, giggling at her. He kept his eyes glued to his painting._

" _Dylan?" She asked._

" _That's a common name." He rolled his eyes._

" _Well it's a nice name."_

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

"Go, what are you waiting for?!" He exclaimed.

"Fine, I'll go." She laughed, accelerating out of the grass patch she had parked on and entering Mystic Falls for the first time in five whole years. She knew this wasn't going to end well, but there was no way she was getting out of this one. Besides, she wasn't just going for this dumb reunion. She was going to see Jenna.

* * *

As Elena pulled up at her old high school, the regret flooded in again. Now that Dyl wasn't here to convince her to go, she was having a hard time convincing herself. Not one of her old friends had tried messaging her or finding her after she left in senior year – other than Caroline and Bonnie of course. And him...but they weren't friends anymore.

She missed Bonnie so much. She still hadn't seen her since she left. Only texting. Would that make it awkward? Still, that was the least of her worries. Even seeing Matt wouldn't be so bad, as long as she didn't have to be alone with him. She was just scared she'd bump into the one old friend that made her leave in the first place.

She reached for her phone and texted Caroline. She had the guest list. She quickly typed; ' _Is HE here?'_ and clicked send. As she waited patiently for the reply, she figured looking decent wouldn't kill her. She grabbed her makeup bag from the glove box, flicked her mirror down and began to apply some basics. She heard her phone vibrate against the dashboard and rushed to check it. _'He's not coming'_

She grinned and tugged the elastic out of her hair, letting her wavy chocolate locks fall.

She looked pretty.

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

" _Yeah, but that's not my name." He said, finally looking at her. "You're pretty."_

" _Thank you." She smiled. She was going to call him handsome, but she decided against it. A six year old can't be handsome, can they?_

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

No.

She looked hot.

Calling people pretty was something six year olds did.

After that message from Caroline, her mood lifted from, _'on the verge of depression'_ to _'I'm ready for these bitches.'_ She was actually excited to see Bonnie and Caroline again, and show the rest of her graduating year she was doing great. Even if it was a lie. A big fat lie. Truth be told she was doing shit. Not that having Dyl and Jer wasn't amazing, just that she had nothing else going for her. She worked at a little toy store back in Brooklyn. So much for a profession. But the only people who knew that were Bonnie, Caroline and Matt. Oh and Jeremy and Dylan. If she'd never see these people again, she could always bullshit right?

 _'Whatever,'_ She finally thought, letting go of all her worries. Or at least most of them. She stepped out of her car and made her way into the old brick building. She hoped no one would notice her heels clicking on the floor. She was already late, the last thing she wanted to do was make an entrance.

As she hoped, the gym was crowded with people and not many noticed her walking in. Thank fuck. As she slowly walked around, she recognised pretty much every face she saw. Although she wanted to go undetected by most, she couldn't help wondering if they remembered her. She was head cheerleader and one of the most popular girls at school. She also didn't look much different, other than her hair not being pin straight as it used to be.

"'Lena!" Bonnie squealed, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Bon!" She smiled, turning around to hug her friend. It didn't feel like this was the first time seeing Bonnie in person since she left. Probably because they had _FaceTimed_ almost every day since. "You don't know how much I've missed you."

"I doubt more than me." Bonnie giggled, squeezing her. "You look so good."

"Really? Because I don't feel so good." Elena laughed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Why? I'm sure everyone here remembers you." Bonnie offered, turning around to pour a drink.

"That's what I'm afraid of." She sighed as Bonnie handed her a glass of punch.

"Don't worry, just say hi. You don't need to tell them your life story." Bonnie smiled.

"I guess." She shrugged, sculling the punch in one go. She shivered as the alcohol seared her throat. She wasn't the biggest drinker, but if she was going to get through the night, she needed a couple more of those.

"Easy." Bonnie chuckled. "I'm gonna get the DJ to change the music because this sucks."

"Okay." Elena pursed her lips as she poured herself another punch.

"Elena Gilbert?" A guy asked from behind her.

"Congratulations, you've learnt the basics of my na—Stefan?"

"In the flesh." He laughed, sipping his beer. "I did not expect to see you here."

"Caroline dragged me along." She nodded.

"Classic Caroline." He alliterated, raising his brows. "You know everyone was so confused when you left. Especially D—"

" _What's your name?" She turned to him, smiling widely._

" _Why?" He pursed his lips, not looking at her._

" _Well, your name is probably a D name because of where you are sitting, and I read everyone else's name, but I can't see yours because it's on the front of your table. So what's your name?" She asked again, putting her paintbrush down and sitting on the side of her chair to look at him fully._

" _Guess." He smiled, still not looking at her as he continued to paint._

"Dave. Yeah I know." She smiled falsely, cutting him off. There was no ' _Dave_ ' in their year, and she'd known Stefan since they were toddlers. She pretended she didn't see his confused look and just smiled. The name he was about to say was not one she wanted to hear tonight. Though now she already felt queasy. She was talking to the closest person to him. Not that they were ever really close, but still.

"Hey, why did you lea—"

"I need to pee." She cut him off again, pushing passed him. She felt kind of bad. He meant well, but this was definitely not a conversation she wanted to have, especially with him.

Her cheap five dollar Walmart stilettos clicked heavily on the wooden floors and as she reached the bathroom, they became louder against the tiles. She leaned over one of the sinks and quickly turned it's faucet. She wanted so badly to spray her face with the cool flowing liquid, but she had made the mistake of applying mascara. That definitely wouldn't end well. She breathed heavily and turned the flowing water back off.

Despite her poor attempt to escape Stefan, she did need to pee. She chose the cubicle closest to the door. She never understood why people would walk in and pick the last or middle cubicle. What's wrong with the first one? She turned the half unscrewed lock on the white wooden door. As she pulled her black skinny jeans down her hips, she read the graffiti on the door. One thing she always did in cubicles. Why not? The people put it there in the first place, might as well be read. Her eyes scanned the door from top to bottom. Some of them were funny. Some were just names and signatures.

When she finished up, she was about to unlock the cubicle and wash her hands when she noticed a heart drawn in sky blue sharpie on the wall next to her. Her favourite colour.

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

" _Me too." She giggled. After a few moments of silence, Elena decided to finish her painting. What else was she supposed to do? She grabbed her paintbrush and dipped it in the skin coloured one. She wanted to paint a person today. She painted a slightly nicer body than a stick figure and then went straight onto the clothes. She turned to him and copied his clothes. A blue t-shirt that matched his eyes, and some dark blue jeans. She liked that he wore blue. It was her favourite colour — at least it was now._

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

Inside the outlined heart read _'D + E forever'_ in the same blue sharpie. All of a sudden she felt hot. Sweaty. Uncomfortable. Regretful. Hurt. Longing. Anger. She completely forgot they wrote that in the girl's bathroom in junior year. What bothered her most was the _'forever'_ bit. Mostly because he didn't mean it, but also because she spent _forever_ crying over it. Before she could convince herself to go home right now and never come back to this god forsaken town, she unlocked the door and sprinted out of the bathroom. She could do this. She could survive _one_ night. She needed to prove to herself she was strong enough not to choose the easy way out and run. She was a different person now. For better or worse. It would just take will power and something she never had, but hoped she could discover tonight; confidence.

* * *

After a lot of awkward 'hello's and dodging the question of why she left, she really wanted to go. She still hadn't seen Caroline though. She decided she'd hang with her and Bonnie for a bit and then go. High school reunions were definitely not her thing. She wouldn't be going to the ten year one that's for sure.

She scanned the room for her blonde friend. Once she found her talking to someone across the room, she decided she'd wait until she was free by the food bar.

She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and began to eat her heart out. As she stuffed mini ham and cheese sandwiches into her mouth, a heavy hand rested on her shoulder.

"Hey, slow down there." A husky voice cooed against her hair.

"What?" She swallowed, licking her lips. "Are you the sandwich police?" She asked, turning towards the stranger.

"Elena?" His voice went from flirty and velvety to rough and unwelcoming. His face went blank as he removed his hand from her shoulder. The one person she hoped she'd never have to see again, merely inches away. His hand was just resting on her skin. She didn't know how she didn't recognise his voice. Especially when she had played it over and over in her head when she left.

She resented him for what he did all those years ago. Ruining their friendship for something ridiculous. As much as she always wanted to hate him, she couldn't. They had too much history. And yet as much as she resented him, for some reason, she wanted him to put his hand back on her shoulder. She missed his warmth, and being without it for five years made her yearn for it once she got a taste.

She analysed his face. It hadn't changed much. He was still just as gorgeous. His baby blue eyes were just as piercing as they were years ago and his jaw was sharper than ever. She reminisced how she used to kiss down the planes of his cheeks. Now they were coated in dark stubble and it made him seem rough and jagged. Like he purposely let it grow to show her there was a wall between them. He seemed awfully standoffish towards her, which was strange since she was the one who was hurt.

"Um...Do I know you?" She managed to get out. _'Do I know you?'_ She thought. _'What is wrong with me?'_ She didn't need to impress him or anything, but that was the worst way to greet him. Worst. If she did end up interacting with him, like she was now, she wanted to show him she was doing well, even if she wasn't. Her dumb answer already put her in the _'failed at life'_ pile.

"Do you know me?" He scoffed, his icy blue eyes growing colder. He took a step back distancing himself from her, as if he didn't want to see her either. "Wow, not like we were best friends or anything."

"I'm sorry." She shook her head, tapping her heel against the ground. "I have to go." She blurted, speed walking to Caroline, not daring to turn around or look at him. She had to make sure to keep her distance.

"Hey, Elena is this good or what?" Caroline grinned as Elena stopped in front of her.

"No Care, it's horrible. You told me he wasn't coming." She frowned, crossing her arms tightly as the all too familiar tears seared her bottom lids.

"Stefan told me he wasn't." Caroline knitted her brows.

"Well he's here and he hates me."

"You hate him too though."

"Yeah," She started, knowing she was lying through her teeth. Truth was, she never got over him. She never hated him no matter how hard she tried to. Maybe it was because she had a living reminder of him always around. Either way, she could never hate him. "but I have every right to."

"Whatever, just avoid him." Caroline shrugged. "Speaking of avoiding, Matt is coming your way."

"Cover for me?" She begged.

"I got you." Care winked. She stood in Matt's way and began to bombard him with pointless questions. Elena kept her eyes glued to Caroline and Matt as she ran the opposite way, her recklessness causing her to fall into a solid chest. Within a few seconds a warm set of hands were stuck on her waist. She threw her arms around the man's neck on impulse and looked up at him.

"Shit." She jumped, trying to get out of his grasp. His hands were gripping her hips tightly and she couldn't escape without making a huge scene.

"Now do you remember me?" He raised a brow. She flushed with heat as his words hit her freezing cheeks, yet still she couldn't answer him. She didn't realise, but his hands on her hips and hers around his neck made them look like they were dancing amongst the other couples. However, they weren't a couple. They never would be again. "Oh come on Elena, you can't even speak to me?"

"What's there to say?" She asked, rolling her eyes. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid.

"Hi Damon, sorry I left and didn't talk to you for five years." He put on his best Elena voice. She clenched her jaw as he spoke his own name, simultaneously trying not to slap him and laugh at him. She hadn't heard his name aloud since she left and the sound of it hit her hard.

"There's nothing to apologise for." She shrugged as if it didn't mean anything to her. Again she was lying, but at least not to herself. His eyes had softened since the last time they talked less than five minutes ago. They were the warm shade of blue she missed so much. His wall was coming down, but hers wasn't. Even if she wanted to knock it over herself, she couldn't. She wouldn't for him, ever again.

"Seriously, where have you been, E?"

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

" _Thanks." He smirked. "So your name is an E name?"_

" _Yeah, it's E—"_

" _Wait, let me guess now." He interrupted. "Emily?"_

" _No."_

" _Emma?" He guessed._

" _No, not Emma." She laughed._

" _Edith?"_

" _Ew, no. That's an ugly name." She cringed, shaking her head almost immediately._

" _It's too hard. I'll call you E."_

 ** _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_**

"Don't call me that." She snapped, clenching her fists against the back of his neck.

"Okay," He sighed. He had called her 'E' since they were six years old. "Where have you been, Elena?"

"New York." She finally answered something honestly. What was he going to do, follow her home? Everything he had was here, as if he'd leave everything behind. She internally laughed at that. That's exactly what she did.

"You hate big cities. Everyone's fake."

"Turns out everyone's fake here, so the big city couldn't be any worse right?" She insulted him slyly.

"What did I do?" He asked. He seemed genuine but then again, she knew not to trust him.

"What?" She shot back dryly.

"You obviously left because of me, because you returned everyone else's calls who tried to get in touch with you. So, what did I do?" He asked again.

"Nothing." She deadpanned.

"Don't bullshit me, E." He scoffed, disobeying her request.

"What do you want me to say, Damon?" She huffed as she finally said his name. Five years without uttering those syllables and she finally did it. Even though she was so infuriated right now, she couldn't help but admire about how beautifully his name rolled off her tongue. It was like only she was meant to speak it. It was hers. No. She couldn't think like that. "That you hurt me? That I left because of you? That I didn't want to see you? You already know that."

"No, Elena I don't. You haven't spoken to me since my birthday party over five years ago. It hasn't exactly been _rainbows and unicorns_. I don't know what I did to hurt you. To make you move away and never talk to me — you're boyfriend and you're best friend for twelve years — again. I have no fucking clue. What I do know, is I missed you more than anything. So please just spell it out for me."

"I can't spell it out for you, Damon! No one can. Just leave me alone, I survived long enough without you. I don't need you anymore." She grunted, ignoring everything he said about missing her and pushing away from him as tears seared her bottom lids again. She didn't care if she was making a scene anymore. Fuck them all anyway.

As she sprinted out of the gym, she heard her friends call for her. She _needed_ out. Now. And she never _needed_ back in. But that didn't mean deep deep down she didn't _want_ it. Or him.

* * *

 **Yay! Hope you enjoyed the Prologue! Next chap will be a bit longer and will have longer flashbacks and stuff. I'm really excited for this!** **Please leave me a review! It helps me improve and it doesn't take long at all! Thank you all xxx**

 **Also wanna quickly thank iwantyoudamon for being so supportive of this fic! I really appreciate it :)**

 **See you soon ;) Jasmine**


	2. Used To

**A/N: Hi :) I'm finally back with the next chap! Sorry it took so long I just had exam week so I haven't had time to post!**

 **Anyway, this one is a little longer than the prologue. I spent a lot of time editing so I hope you like it (thank you to iwantyoudamon for all you have done for this story!) There are a LOT more flashbacks which you hopefully like! - the flashbacks, like in the prologue, are in italic and are separated with forward slashes.**

 **Also, wanted to bring up all the reviews I've been getting. I love that a lot of you have reviewed, but I'd just like to remind you all to stay optimistic about the plot! There have been a few speculations, but I'd rather just keep everything within the chapters for now :) Thank you xo Enjoy!**

* * *

Elena had been sitting in her car for at least twenty minutes. She tried to talk herself into going back inside and being the strong girl she had wanted to be all night, but after crying all the mascara off her eyelashes and onto her cheeks, she figured it wouldn't end well. Hopefully by now, the alcohol would be out of her system and she could finally ditch this stupid reunion completely.

As she turned the key, she hoped she would start up. By she, she meant _Lyla_. Elena was never big on naming cars, but that's something she picked up from was never reliable. She still loved her though. She had picked her up for less than a thousand at some sketchy car place in Manhattan, using her sexy smile and boosted cleavage to convince the disgusting old man to give it to her. It was all she could afford and she sacrificed six months pay for it, so she learned to love the shitty blue car. You get what you get, right?

"Fuck!" She howled, banging her right fist against the steering wheel. Lyla, was being a bitch right now. And when she needed her most. "Fuck me!" She groaned, repeating her last action again and again. She was hitting the wheel right on the horn. Not that she cared too much anymore, but she was probably drawing everyone's attention. "Fuck him. Dick head. Why did he have to come and ruin everything?! Fuck! Fuck me." She yelled continuously, getting out of the car and slamming the door harder than she ever had. She was surprised it didn't break. She stomped on the ground in a raging fit, and her cheap heels broke instead, sending her stumbling against the small vehicle. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." She finished under her breath as she slipped both her heels off and held them up with two fingers. She roughly scanned the parking lot with her now dry eyes for someone she knew and trusted to help her home, but without a single soul in sight, she figured she'd have to sort herself out. She stormed over to the front of the car and popped the hood open, holding the heels over her shoulder as she bent over and searched as well as she could in the dark for the problem.

"Need a hand?" A low voice asked. She raised her brows, turning around to identify the owner of the voice. Of fucking course. Merely ten meters away a smirking Damon leant against his car, glaring at her. His unmistakable sky blue, 1969 Chevy Camaro Convertible. She laughed dryly. He _still_ had that car.

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

" _I hate you." She panted as they finally reached the top of the hill._

" _Oh, shut it." He panted back, bending over with his hands on his knees. "You're lucky I'm letting you pick the colour."_

" _You're lucky I came with you." She rolled her eyes as they slowly walked into the biggest mechanic in town. It was a twenty minute walk from school, but Elena wasn't letting Damon go by himself. The Mikaelson's lived close and she didn't like the idea of Damon being alone with them. One of them in particular. So she had to come, but she'd make it sound like she was doing him a favour. "I can't believe you're buying a car. You're only sixteen and don't work, I don't know how you came up with the money."_

" _Hey, my dad won't let me drive his car, so this is the only option." He shrugged._

" _You make it sound like you don't want one." She laughed, nudging him as a man walked over to serve them._

" _May I help you?" The man asked, wiping his greasy forehead with an almost black towel._

" _Yeah, I'm here to buy a car. My friend Tyler's father owns the place, so he said I could get a discount." Damon replied extending his hand for a shake. "I don't have much, but I'm flexible."_

" _Any friend of Tyler's is a friend of mine." The man smiled, accepting his hand. "I'm Mason, Tyler's uncle."_

" _Damon."_

" _What kind of car are you after?" Mason asked._

" _Well, I promised Elena" He started, throwing his head towards her in introduction. "she could choose the colour."_

" _Alright, what will it be?" Mason turned to her smiling._

" _I'm thinking like a sky blue?" She grinned at Damon._

" _I should've known." He rolled his eyes._

" _Um well the only ones I can think of in that colour that we have are a Chevy Convertible and a Ford Hatch." Mason explained. "Both second hand and in good condition."_

" _Chevy." Damon nodded quickly._

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

He stood there, leaning against it in his usual — or what used to be his usual — tight jeans, white tee and black leather jacket, just glaring at her as she made a fool of herself again. To her surprise, he hadn't laughed while she had her fit or was bent over the hood of her car. He probably heard her screaming and honking too, but he hesitated to laugh.

"Stop following me." She scowled, leaning against Lyla. Hadn't he realised she wanted nothing to do with him? He may have not been the best student at school, but he always had common sense.

"You're the one in my town." He sung, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"Our town." She corrected, slamming the hood shut.

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

 _"You may be a good best friend, but you're a shitty chauffeur." She smirked, kicking herself up off the porch steps and jogging to his car._

 _"Hello to you too, Judgy." He smirked back, leaning over to open the door. She hopped in his car, tossed her bag in the back and strapped herself in thoughtlessly. They had been doing this same routine every day since Damon bought his car._

" _Step on it, Mr. Tanner's going to nail my ass." She laughed, giving him a playful nudge._

" _Elena, don't be inappropriate." He raised his brow at her, accelerating._

" _You have the dirtiest mind!" She groaned, nudging him harder this time. "Seriously, Tanner will kill me."_

" _Us." He corrected, grinning at her._

" _Sorry, us." She sleepily smiled back, feeling warmed by it._

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

"This isn't your town anymore. There's no our anything anymore. No us. Just me and you. You made that clear." He stated. His tone made him seem unaffected by what she told him inside, but surely he wasn't.

"Leave me alone, Damon." She huffed calmly.

"Stop deflecting everything." He rolled his eyes rudely. He used to do that all the time, but it was never to hurt her. Now, she felt like he was trying to get under her skin. After a solid minute of silence, he spoke up; "So you drive a Ford, now?"

"You still drive that Chevy." She replied, ignoring his question. She was not in the mood for his jokes. She hadn't been since before she left. Hell, she wasn't in the mood to talk to him. She'd never be.

"Yes," He laughed dryly. "and you drive a dolphin blue Ford."

"So?"

"So it's a Ford." He shrugged. "Loser's drive Fords."

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

" _Why were you so quick to decide before you even saw the cars?" She whispered as Mason handed over the keys and they hopped in – he had already paid. Even though the Chevy was a default choice, Damon quite liked it. Actually, he loved it. He always wanted to own a convertible and this one was gorgeous._

" _It was an obvious decision." He replied loudly now that Mason had gone._

" _Why? What's wrong with Fords?" She asked, raising a brow._

" _Everything." He stated. "Losers drive Fords."_

" _I guess." She shrugged as he turned the key._

" _Besides, it's a convertible." He grinned._

" _You and convertibles." She giggled, rolling her eyes. She stared at him for a bit as he closed his eyes and sat back listening to the car. "What are you doing?"_

" _Shhh." He hushed her, sticking his finger up to his lips. "June 20th, 2010. The day I was blessed with Chelsea."_

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

Wow. That hurt. Why? Because she was a loser. He didn't know that though. He didn't mean it that way. Still, it burned. Bad. Mainly because she thought she'd thrive without him, but boy was she wrong. "Wow." She sighed, opening her car door again.

"Where are you going?" He asked, finally pushing off his car and supporting his own weight.

"Home." She told him, sitting in the driver's seat.

"You can't drive to New York in _that_." He shook his head, slowly walking towards her car. She could deal with talking to him from a distance, but up close flustered her. She couldn't think right when his intoxicating scent flowed through the air. She used to feed on it like it was sweet honey. Now all she wanted to do was shut it out. Kill it. Because if she breathed it in, it would hypnotise her. It was detrimental to her health. It picked away at her and made her weak and the last thing she wanted to do was be weak in front of him.

"Why not?" She asked, slamming her door closed before he could get to it. She could still hear him through the glass, but she was protected this way. From him trying to hold her close again or defuse his deadly scent.

"Isn't that why you had your little...fit a few minutes ago?" He trailed, leaning down to the glass of her small window and cocking his head to the side. The glass wasn't making a big enough difference. He was still way too close for her liking. So close, that if the glass weren't there, his breath would be colliding with her cheeks right about now. Heating them up until she blushed. She didn't answer him. She didn't really want to. What was she supposed to say? "Hop out, Honky McHonkerson. I'll give you a ride to wherever you need to go."

"Go away, Damon." She exhaled, turning her head to look out the passenger window. She didn't like looking at his face up close. It's beauty affected her. Jesus, how many things would affect her?

He huffed heavily and the breath that would've hit her cheeks spread across the glass of the window. He raised a finger and started to trace a shape. After about thirty seconds, he tapped on the window with his knuckle. She was hesitant to turn around, but she knew if she didn't he'd never leave. He was persistent like that. She slowly twisted back around. A dog?

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

" _You want my painting?" Damon questioned, turning to Elena completely like she had before previously._

" _What is it?" She asked._

" _Rainbows and unicorns." He stated sarcastically._

" _Really?" She jumped up, peering over his desk._

" _No, it's my dog." He chuckled, looking up at her. "Well, not yet. I want a dog. But my Dad said when I'm older I can get one."_

" _That's nice. Don't you want to hang it in your room?" She asked, picking it up and admiring it. Damon was quite the artist for his age. He had a steady hand. It was much better than Elena's painting._

" _I can make another one tomorrow." He shrugged, taking it back from her. "Do you want it?"_

" _Okay." She grinned._

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

Probably with his fingernail, he had traced a round body, four small legs and a little head with ears. She finally looked him in the eyes and sighed heavily. He still knew how to get to her. How to reach her core and flood warmth.

"Come on, E." He mouthed, wiping the cute drawing he had done off the glass with the side of his hand. Even on a window, he knew how to draw. And fucking well too.

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

 _He curved his hand around the page, running the lead in a smooth motion as she sat in the corner of the floor length window in the library. She was sitting with her knees tucked into her chest as she read. Damon would never voluntarily read, but then again, she was into that stuff. School and all that._

 _He watched her as she read for about twenty minutes until he decided to use the opportunity to capture her moment. His fingers gripped the pencil loosely as he alternated between glancing up at her and looking down at the stark white art paper on the floor in front of him. Some of her hair was neatly tucked behind one ear, while the rest was swept over her shoulder. She was biting on her bottom lip – something she always did when she read –, her eyes darting from line to line as she analysed the text. Her little nose occasionally twitched and her brows sometimes raised. She looked so pretty when she read. She always looked pretty, but he especially liked admiring her when she read. She was his best friend, but he had always thought she was pretty. Prettier than all the other girls. In a way, he wanted to keep her beauty to himself. Not that he was special, but to him, no one else deserved to witness the sight that was Elena. Especially Reading-Elena. No one was worth her time, her affection, her laugh, her beauty – not even him. She was like a magnet; everything draws you to her and you can't get away no matter what you do. She's inescapable, and yet, you never want to leave. At least Damon didn't. Elena was pretty much his entire life. Or the only non-shitty thing in it. Only she was worthy of the time he spent sketching her._

 _As he rounded off the buttons on her cardigan, he swayed his pencil away from her cleavage. He felt horrible even trying to draw it. Because then, he'd have to look at_ them _. Analyse_ their _curves. That would be rude. Not that_ they _weren't...Fuck it. He was quick anyway. After three glances, he had finished on the area. However, he couldn't help feeling guilty. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her in a bikini or anything. Regardless, it was violating her. Even if he did like looking at_ them _, it was rude – which he did. Lucky she didn't catch him. She'd disown him as a friend for at least a week if she did._

 _He quickly finished the missing parts when he noticed the time. Football practice started in fifteen minutes and he needed to get changed._

 _"E." He whispered – library and all. She raised her eyebrows at him as she finally detached her eyes from the pages. "Time to go."_

" _Shit, cheer practice." She mumbled, flicking her watch up to her field of vision. She quickly gathered her things and began to pack his stuff up too. They were going to be late if she didn't help. He grabbed all his pens and shoved them in a little pencil case as she gathered all his textbooks. He had shoved his little sketch of her into a black folder. As she swiftly picked up the stack, the artwork fell out face down onto the floor. "What's that?" She asked, placing the books on a table and bending down to pick it up._

" _No, that's–" He started._

" _You drew me?" She asked, gazing up at him, then back at the drawing. She was beyond flattered. They were best friends, but he'd never done something that thoughtful before._

" _Yeah, well I was bored...I know it's not good but–" He trailed._

" _It's amazing, Damon." She interrupted, running her fingers over the intricate sketching as she analysed it. They were only in the library for about an hour and a half. This was something she'd take months to draw. More. Her features were so spot on and his precision was almost photographic. "I mean, I knew you could draw, but this...this is art."_

" _It's not_ that _good." He laughed._

" _Damon, it's_ that _good." She stood up, glaring right into his eyes. "You need to share this."_

" _Elena…" He whined._

" _I'm not gonna let you not submit this to the art department." She told him sternly. Fuck. He could never say no when she did that. "They need a good artist for the founder's day piece. I doubt they won't be interested in you once they see this. Submit it."_

" _Not that one." He shook his head. "That was a rough one. I'll re-do it."_

" _Well, what are you gonna do with this one?" She asked, admiring it again._

" _It's yours." He shrugged._

" _Really?" She asked, her eyes lighting up. He nodded, smirking. She threw her arms around his waist and pulled him into a warm embrace. "Thank you."_

" _Anything for you." He grinned. "We're gonna be so late."_

" _Oh well, it's only Sophomore year. It doesn't matter." She shrugged, slipping the sketch into her bag and handing Damon his books._

" _Elena Gilbert, breaking the rules?" He teased, raising his brows playfully._

" _I'm a few minutes late, don't stretch it."_

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

Without words, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard. How else was she going to get back to Jeremy and Dylan? She could always catch a ride with Caroline or Bonnie, but he was offering. One drive. That was it. She didn't have to talk to him ever again. Despite her better senses, she pulled the handle and stepped out, lightly closing the door behind her. "You drive me where I need to go, and then you leave me alone." She told him sternly, clenching her jaw in hesitation.

"Okay." He pursed his lips, waving her towards his car.

"Seriously Damon, there's no catch up session. We drive in silence." She made herself clear, following him.

"Okay, princess." He repeated, rolling his eyes and hopping in the car. Before she could change her mind, she joined him and quickly buckled up.

* * *

"So–" He started, pursing his lips as they drove through town. The high school was a ten minute drive from Elena's old house, but Damon went the long way, meaning they had a twenty minute drive. He hoped Elena wouldn't notice. Maybe she didn't remember the streets correctly after five years?

"I told you, we're not talking." She interrupted, keeping her arms crossed tightly against her chest. They'd been there since she first got in the car and she wasn't planning on moving them.

"Alright snappy, I was going to ask where I should drive you, but fine. I guess it's my house." He shrugged, rolling his eyes. Couldn't she at least be amicable? She didn't have to touch him or talk to him, but a few words would be nice. Especially since he missed her voice so bad. Five whole years without that sweet honey coated tone almost killed him. Any word he could get out of her, he would. At least if he never saw her face again, he'd get that to hold onto this time.

Even though he was used to it, it still wasn't easy seeing her. Now he'd have to let her go all over again – assuming she was leaving. Whether she hurt him or not, he still cared about her. He never stopped and never would stop.

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

" _Damon?" She asked, turning onto her side to look at him._

" _Yeah?" He answered, looking at her in his peripherals. He had his hands behind his head as he lay on her bed._

" _Do you ever feel like nobody at school really cares about you?" She swallowed, her voice cracking noticeably. She wasn't trying to hide it._

" _All the time." He nodded, smiling sadly. "Why do you ask?"_

" _Yesterday, Banana and Feather had a play date without me. I asked why and they said it's because I'm always with you and they can't invite you because of girl stuff and so they didn't invite me either." She explained, frowning. "They don't care about me, do they?"_

" _That doesn't mean they don't care about you." He told her, sitting up. "They just thought you'd rather play date with me."_

" _I would." She sat up too. "But they didn't even invite me."_

" _Elena, they care about you." He rested his hand on her shoulder._

" _Doesn't feel like it." She sniffed as hot tears streamed down her cheeks._

" _Even if they don't care, I do." He smiled softly, reaching over the nightstand to grab her some tissues._

" _Promise you won't ever stop?"_

" _Pinky promise." He chuckled, sticking his pinky out. "I won't ever stop caring about you."_

" _Neither." She beamed, accepting it._

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

He made that vow when they were eleven years old and he never broke his vows. Especially with Elena.

"No!" She answered quickly, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Do you remember my parent's house?"

"Of course I do," He claimed, glaring at her for a second. Did he remember her parents house? Really? He drove her to and from school everyday and practically lived there half the time. This wasn't _his_ Elena. This Elena was different. "I'm not a goldfish."

"Just drop me off there." She exhaled, pinning a stray hair behind her ear and turning to look out the window. All her makeup had been cried off and she looked like she hadn't slept for days. In the darkness, he couldn't see her face and she was glad. Even though he _used to_ see her like that all the time, she was embarrassed. She didn't want him judging her. Still, he had every opportunity to do that already and he hadn't.

"Okie Dokie." He hummed.

"Sorry." She apologised, her eyes darting to the side to view him in her peripherals. After all he did, she really shouldn't have been apologising, but she couldn't help it. Besides, she was always one for common courtesy and he did offer to drive her despite their differences. Well, they never _used to_ have differences.

"For what?" He asked.

"For yelling at you."

"Huh, for a second there I thought you were apologising for leaving me on my birthday." He stated nonchalantly, turning to see her reaction. She didn't react. Instead, she stayed silent. "What? Is that so crazy?"

"Yes, it is." She replied as calmly as she could, clenching her fists against the sides of her ribs.

"Why?"

"You know why." She said evenly.

"Fuck, Elena. No I don't." He bit back, gripping the steering wheel tighter as he drove through the center of the town. This was a bad idea. He should've taken the quick way.

"Drop me off here." She sternly stated, biting on her inner cheek. Being stuck in a car with Damon was torture enough, she was not going to go through this shit again. She knew he knew what he did. How could you forget something like that? She wasn't trying to rekindle a flame and she definitely wasn't trying to be civil. She gave him that chance already and he hadn't even acknowledged it. She was simply here for the car ride, that, she needed to take. No talking, no interacting. She'd never have to see his face again after this.

She wanted to get out and cut it short. She wasn't going to sit in his stupid blue car and argue with him for ten minutes when she didn't even want to fix anything anyway. Or at least she didn't need to. Truth was, all she wanted was to be in his arms again. Feel the fire of his skin on hers and be enthralled in him like she used to be. But she couldn't be and she couldn't ever trust him again.

"What? No. I'm not leaving you in the middle of town." He argued, ignoring her request. As much as he hated arguing with her, he wasn't going to leave her outside. Especially when it had just started raining.

"Why not?!" She growled, grinding her teeth.

"Because I care about you!" He yelled, choking slightly. Suddenly, she felt hot. She had been here before.

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

" _You ready to talk now?" He asked lowly, quickly glancing at her before returning his focus to the road._

" _What's there to talk about." She shrugged, keeping her stare fixated on the passing trees._

" _Nothing to talk about?" He frowned angrily. "He hurt you, E. And you're okay with it."_

" _I never said I was okay with it, I just said he didn't mean to." She explained, shrugging it off as if it were nothing._

" _He didn't_ 'accidentally' _hit you, Elena." He rolled his eyes, tightening his grip on the wheel. That son of a bitch didn't even deserve to be in Elena's presence. He was lucky Elena stopped Damon from killing him. Literally, murdering that asshole. For some reason it didn't bother Elena though. "I don't understand why you defend him."_

" _I defend him because I understand why. He's had things on his plate, you don't know about." She tried to justify herself. It wasn't working on Damon. Now that they were together, he had a say in who comes near her or touches her and he was going to take advantage of it. "It's okay, Damon, I'm fine. We're over anyway so why does it matter?"_

" _It's not okay." He snapped. "It's never okay."_

" _Just leave me here." She huffed, picking her school backpack off the floor of the car._

" _I'm not leaving you in the middle of town." He laughed dryly. She had to be joking. "I'm taking you home."_

" _Why not?" She grunted, clenching her fists tightly._

" _Because I care about you!"_

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

The way the words strung out of his mouth, almost exactly the same as the last time. His hoarse tone was raw and heavy, filled with what she used to call passion and love. She finally turned to look at him and his face overwhelmed her. He kept his eyes on the road, but his jaw was clenched tightly, almost locked, and his eyebrows stretched down to his eyelashes. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought he was being genuine. That he did still care about her. She always knew he did, but in their case, it wasn't enough to keep him from fucking everything up and it definitely wasn't enough to fix everything.

She blinked in thought at him a couple times before finally saying; "Thanks for the ride, but I can get back from here." She bent down, grabbed her broken shoes and shoved her phone in her back pocket. She swiftly popped the door open and jumped out, slamming the door shut.

"Elena, get back in the car." He called, rolling the window down and following her slow pace down the street.

"No. I'm fine." She replied, raising her hand over her head to block the rain.

"It's raining; you're going to get sick." He shook his head.

"It's not far. I'll walk."

"Listen, I know you hate me," He started, following her closely. She exhaled loudly. Everyone kept saying that. She far from hated him. Far from. Resentment and hate are completely different things, though there's a fine line between them. She did try to hate him. She tried so damn hard, but she never could. How could she hate her first friend, her first love. The one that always knew how to lift her mood and make her feel wanted. The one person who could sway her with one look. She couldn't, no matter what he had done to hurt her. But that didn't mean she didn't resent him. Or that when it came down to it she couldn't live without him. Because she had done that already and even though it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, she survived. Yet still, even though it shouldn't, it hurt her that he thought she hated him. It was probably for the better he thought that way. Besides, he wouldn't bother trying to repair all he had broken if he believed she hated him, right? Hopefully not. She really didn't need that right now – or ever. Elena had other things to worry about and this wasn't even on her list. She may have missed him like hell, but that didn't change the fact that she needed him out of her life for good. She had Jeremy and Dylan to worry about and saving up enough money for an actual house. "...but I'd rather you not get pneumonia."

"I'll survive."

"You asked for it." He shrugged, suddenly stopping the car. He quickly hopped out and ran over to her, grabbing her broken heels and tossing them.

"What are you doing?" She asked, raising a brow as he bent down and picked her up by the knees.

"Putting you back in the car." He told her, gripping her tightly. The rain drenched them and he could hardly see as he waddled over to the car.

"Fuck, Damon! Put me down!" She screamed, squirming in his grip. She did not like being this close to him or being vulnerable around him.

"Nope." He replied.

"I swear, if you don't put me down I'll–" She started.

"You'll what?" He asked, clicking the door open and gently placing her soaked body onto the car seat before running to the other side and jumping in the driver's seat. "Not talk to me for five years? Don't worry, it won't be as hard this time."

"That isn't fair." She muttered as he slammed his door shut.

"Sorry."

* * *

As Damon pulled into Elena's old street, she sighed in relief. That was the longest ten minutes of her life. She didn't remember the trip from school to her house being that long, but then again, she hadn't been back since senior year.

As he rolled up and parked right in front of the house, something hit her. The lights were on, but her parents weren't here. They hadn't been here for eleven years. Since the accident when she was only twelve. She had tried to forget when she left. Start anew and move on from everything, everyone and every memory...completely forget.

Now, sitting in front of the home she grew up in without her parents, it all came back. She tried to keep the memories in, but when it came to family, she was never strong. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she peered out the car window.

"Elena?" Damon asked, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of her face. If she was so desperate to get away from him, why hadn't she left the car yet? "Elena, are you crying?"

"No." She sniffed, scraping the tears with the side of her palm.

"E, you don't have to lie to me." He sighed, stroking her sticky wet hair from behind.

"Um…" She started, slowly unclicking her seatbelt and opening her door. The rain had died down a bit so she could make it to the front door without getting completely drenched again. "Thank you for the ride."

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked with concern as she walked up to the porch with her phone and purse in her hand.

"I'll be fine." She shook her head.

"E?" He called.

"Yes?" She answered dryly. She hated him calling her E. It made her want to get closer to him.

"Sixteen." He looked at her with hope.

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

" _Vicki is annoying." Elena whispered over Damon's shoulder as they sat in the sandbox. "She stole my blue fluffy pencil."_

" _Shhh!" He raised his finger to his lips. "She's right there."_

" _She can't hear me." She rolled her eyes, shovelling sand into her bucket._

" _You don't know that." He shrugged, standing up. He dusted himself off and clapped the sand out of his fingers. He began to walk to the desks, before he turned around to see Elena still building. "You coming?"_

" _What are we doing?" She asked, repeating Damon's steps and following him over to their desks. He tugged her one up close to his and sat down._

" _We need to make a secret language." He stated, pulling his pencil and some paper out from his tote tray and writing the words 'D + E's secret language.'_

" _Why?" She knitted her brows, placing her chin in her palms._

" _So Vicki doesn't know that we're talking about her." He explained, proceeding to etch 'By Elena and Damon' in the top left corner of the paper. "What's the date?"_

" _Um...sixteenth of August." She stated, glancing over at the calendar on the other side of the classroom. He nodded before messily writing '08.16.2003' in the top left corner. "What are we going to do?"_

" _First, names for people we might talk secretly about." He told her, writing down the left side of the page everyone that was in their class. "Vicki can be...Donut."_

" _Why Donut?" She asked, crumpling her face. "Donuts are nice."_

" _Because her last name is_ Don _ovan." He winked, thinking he was clever._

" _You're an idiot."_

" _Say that louder and Mrs. Pierce will call your parents." He threatened playfully. She just brushed him off with another eye roll. "Bonnie and Caroline can be…"_

" _When would we talk bad about them?" She asked, shaking her head quickly. "They're my friends."_

" _If we ever need to talk and there's someone we don't want to know it's about them, duh."_

" _Fine." She huffed. "How about Bonnie is Feather and Caroline is Banana."_

" _Why?" He questioned, scrunching his face like she did before._

" _Bonnie always uses feather pencils and Caroline's hair is yellow like a banana." She explained. "You choose all the boys and I'll choose the girls."_

" _Okay, Stefan can be...boring because he's boring," He started. She giggle-frowned. Damon often disregarded his brother, but Elena didn't really see what was wrong with him. He seemed nice and friendly, but then again she didn't know him well. "Matt will be Donut 2.0 and Tyler can be Key because his last name starts with Lock." Damon rambled, pointing to them as he named them, then writing them down in a list. Once they had gone through their whole class and added some other people they knew. They decided they also needed some basic communications as part of their language. Things only they knew and could say._

" _I think we have everything we need." Elena said, scanning through the list._

" _We need something for bye."_

" _What should it be?"_

" _I don't know." Damon shrugged._

" _Elena. Honey, time to go." Her mother called as she walked into the classroom. In their grade, their parents had to pick them up from the room to ensure safety. She was always the first to leave at the end of the day since her mother finished work early._

" _Alright, Mom." She said as she shoved her copy of their language code in her bag and threw it over her shoulder. She leaned over and hugged Damon goodbye as usual, then ran into her mother's arms._

 _As she edged towards the door, he called out; "E."_

" _Yeah?" She smiled, turning around._

" _Sixteen." He stated. That was it. That was goodbye. Sixteen was their number. The day they met, and coincidently today._

" _Sixteen? Why sixteen?" She asked._

" _Well, today is the sixteenth, and we met on the sixteenth of February." He explained._

 _After a few seconds of confusion and weird looks she thought about their language and the one word they hadn't chosen yet; bye. Then she blushed_ _–_ _he remembered the day they met. "Oh...Sixteen."_

 _/ / / / / / / / / / / /_

If she said it back, there was a sliver of hope that he could fix whatever he fucked up. Not that he knew where to start, but this would surely help. That one word could mean this was salvageable. They were salvageable no matter how late it was.

Nothing.

No words.

Just a hurt look on her face and a flood of memories in her head.

She blinked at him once before turning around and entering the old house.

"Dyl?" She called as she closed the door behind her. She was still dripping wet and looked like she had been hit by a car. "Jer?"

"Hey, how was i–wow." Jeremy started, sipping on a beer as he walked out from the kitchen. "What happened to you?"

"Damon." She mumbled, dropping her bag and taking her drenched and now ruined phone out of her pocket. "Damon happened."

"Can I as–"

"No." She interrupted, looking down to see the muddy puddle she created at the door.

"Okay." He nodded, knowing not to push it. "Well, Dylan's gone to sleep in your old room and Jenna's upstairs if you want to see her."

"I miss Jenna." She whispered to herself. "I'll go see her later." She spoke up. "I need to shower."

"So how is Damon?" He asked, finishing his drink and helping her clean up the spot she made. Damon and Jeremy used to hang when Elena was busy, and since the…incident, Jeremy couldn't see him. So naturally, he was asking.

"I don't know." She shrugged, remembering Jer didn't know what actually happened, just that they had a falling out. "Didn't ask."

"Why not? you guys _used to_ be so close." He scrunched his face.

"Key word being: _used to_." She sighed.

* * *

 **Thats the first chap! Hope you all enjoyed and the story is making a bit more sense. I want to reveal things slowly as you can see hahaha so please be patient!**

 **Please don't hesitate to leave a review! And thank you all who have already or are writing one xxx Or anyone who's even reading hahaha**

 **See you in a week or two xx**

 **\- Jasmine**


	3. You Can't Make a Home Out of Human Being

**HEYYYYY! I have a few authors notes below that are important so please read them before you get onto the chap!**

 **1\. I AM EXTREMELY SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE TO POST THIS! I know none of you want to hear any excuses, but I'm going to give you my reason anyway so none of you get the idea that I gave up or something. Someone close to me was in the hospital for a few weeks and aside from being there pretty much all the time, in my free time, I was upset and didn't feel like writing purely because of the situation. I'm really sorry and I'm not trying to guilt trip any of you, I just hope you can all forgive me for not fulfilling my promises :) I am happy to say that said person has been discharged from medical care and I have more time to write and go on tumblr (for all of you who have been missing my posts there!). SO NOW, I PROMISE; next chap will be up in the next week!**

 **2\. because of not being available, I wrote this chap over the course of 3 weeks. So whenever I wrote, I just kept writing and continuing it instead of breaking it off into other chapters. It reached 13000 words and I decided I needed to cut it. So next chap is done, but is now getting edited and was originally part of this one. Just thought I'd let you know so if it seemed incomplete, it's being continued from where we left off in this one!**

 **3\. DYLAN! No, I'm not revealing his character, y'all need to settle down with his identity! I think I've given away big hints to what his role might be, but again, I must ask you all to refrain from continually asking me who he is. I know how I want it to be revealed and I don't want to spoil it!**

 **4\. the flashbacks are super long, tell me in reviews whether you like them shorter or like this :)**

 **Okay that's all. enjoy!**

* * *

After taking the longest shower of probably her whole life and clearing her head completely, Elena was ready to go see Jenna. Being well aware it was almost three in the morning, all she had on her mind was cuddling with her much missed aunt. She had seen her once since she'd left for New York, but once in five years wasn't nearly enough. She was Elena's only family from home other than Jeremy, and to think she had neglected seeing her – whether she intended to or not – left guilt in the shallow pits of her stomach. And by shallow, she meant it was prominent guilt. It was lingering there all the time and it came up easily. There were other things she felt slight guilt for that didn't sit so high, but still made her feel shitty. Not as shitty, but shitty. Shitty enough to cry over at least. So you can imagine how much she'd cry over possibly the shallowest guilt she had.

As Elena brushed through her aqueous locks, she remembered why she never ended up seeing Jenna. It always required coming back to Mystic Falls and that just wasn't an option. At the time, she wasn't ready to come back and face everything she left behind. Much to her dismay, that included Jenna. She could always make her way up to New York, or they could have met in the middle, but Jenna wasn't one to travel and her boyfriend, Ric, was based here. Every time she would plan to come up for a bit, she'd always cancel. They'd always miss their opportunities. But now that Elena had finally come back, she couldn't even imagine how amazing it would be to see Jenna – her saviour when her parents died.

Once she had changed, Elena wasted no time barging into her previous carer's room. The lights were off, but she knew Jenna was awake. She pretty much never slept at night. Jer and Elena used to call her a _vampire_.

"Jer?" Her chipper voice asked. Elena heard a ruffle in the sheets as she sat up against the headboard. "What's up?" Elena said nothing. Instead, she reached for the light switch and stood still as it revealed...well, not Jeremy. Jenna smiled. Wider than Elena had expected, as she ran over to the bed and tackled her.

"I missed you so much, Jenna." Elena sobbed, letting the hot tears that had been attacking her all night take over again. Except this time she was proud of them. These were the tears she should be crying. They were worthy of the red puffy eyes as a product. They were easily worthy of the energy she'd emit doing it. But, mostly, they were worthy of her guilt – or sadness if you will. She had wanted this moment for so long and she'd be disappointed in herself if she didn't cry. It was the only thing tonight she thought worthy of them. So she smiled pleasantly though them as if they were each tiny trophies.

"Oh sweetie," Jenna caressed Elena's arm as they lay tangled together by their limbs on the bed. "you have no idea." Oh yeah she did.

"I'm so sorry." An inhuman wail burst from Elena's mouth as she buried her saturated head in the cleanly washed sheets. They smelt like Jenna always used to and from what Elena could tell, still did now; motherly, welcoming and sweet, like _home_.

Elena was _home_.

Finally.

"For what?" Jenna asked, sitting up and dragging Elena with her and into her chest.

"For not-coming to se-e you an–" Stutters jerked out of Elena's mouth. Though they sounded like random syllables strung together due to the heavy breathing she was forced to make now that she was sobbing.

"Stop right there." She shook her head, stroking Elena's sticky wet locks. "You couldn't come and see me. It's not your fault. I'm glad you are now though. We have a lot of catching up to do, missy. I'm talking about why Jer has long hair, and...Dylan."

"I knew you'd say that." A smug smirk washed over her previously lopsided frown.

"He's so tall!"

"He is, isn't he?" Elena giggled, still keeping her hands gripped onto Jenna tightly. "When did he go to bed?"

"Eight." Jenna pursed her lips in wonder. "I've never seen someone willingly go to bed at eight."

"He's special." Elena bit her lip in appreciation. She was truly lucky. He was one extraordinary person.

"He sure is." Jenna nodded as Elena tightened her grip around her waist. She winced under the sudden pressure and Elena loosened a bit. Maybe she was being a bit too affectionate. "So, how was the reunion?" Elena was startled by Jenna's sudden change of topic. She frowned dramatically after piecing together the words of the question separately. She was often slow at this time of night – well, morning. "Oh no...What happened?"

"I..." Elena started, wanting to keep the description of her very eventful night short and sweet for now. She'd explain when she was less tired and more over what have happened. But now, merely an hour or two past the actual events, she wasn't so keen.

"You embarrassed yourself?" Jenna guessed, raising a brow. Elena had to admit, it was a decent guess. It was about half right.

"Yes, but–" She giggled.

"Your friends didn't remember you?" Jenna gasped. Okay, a little off now, but not too bad.

"No–"

"They gave your prom queen crown to Rebekah Mikaelson?" Her jaw dropped low as if Elena had confirmed the fact. What? _'As if they'd give my crown to that fucker'_ Elena internally growled.

"I saw Damon!" Elena interrupted. She knew she'd never get a word in if she didn't. Jenna _had_ a tendency to ramble and jump to conclusions. And of course, Elena loved every little thing about Jenna, but she had become impatient over the last few years and it was late – well, early.

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"Well at least you got the whole car ride to get over it." Jenna tried to brighten the mood. Little did she know she was just making it worse.

"He drove me home." Elena stated expressionless.

"He what?" She gasped loudly.

"My stupid piece of crap car broke down so…" Elena trailed softly, not wanting to go into major detail.

"Okay, tell me everything." She said excitedly.

"Jenna it's three am and it's not a summer romance." Elena muttered tiredly. "He's my ex."

"Which is exactly why I want to know."

"Fine." Elena let up, not bothered to fight for her much needed rest. "But you can't tell Jeremy."

* * *

Elena slept in Jenna's bed that night. She was _nowhere_ near ready to sleep in her old bed. Hell, she was nowhere near ready to even come back to Mystic Falls in the first place, but being here now wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. Well, excluding all the Damon stuff. Everything else was refreshing.

As she stretched her limbs and sat up, she yawned peacefully. That was one of the best sleeps she had in the last few years. Mainly because she felt like she was at _home_. New York was great – better than she expected – but whenever she walked around or unlocked the door to her apartment, she felt like she was staying in a hotel, or at a friends place. This was _home_ , and she fucking missed it. She missed _home_. But she never used to consider _this_ _home_.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

 _Three hours of detention. Three. She had never been held back so long. Or ever, for that matter. Being the goody two shoes she was, she was rarely ever in trouble. And whenever she was, it was a misunderstanding and she wasn't at fault. Undoubtedly, she had Matt to blame for this one._

 _Elena lifted her stack of books off the desk and stood up. Unlike any of the other students in detention, she liked to use the time in silence for her studies and the teacher was more than happy for her to do so._

" _Matt," She called, nudging him. He had fallen asleep on the desk next to her. "Matty."_

" _What?" He lifted his head up from the desk in a quick motion._

" _Time to go." She nodded her head towards the door. He stood up and stretched slightly before taking her books off her._

" _You can't carry those books with your skinny arms." He insisted, but it sounded more like an insult than a kind gesture._

" _Thanks, I guess..." She rolled her elbows forward, flicking her cardigan on. Rolling her eyes, she swung her backpack over her shoulder as they walked down the halls in complete silence._

 _Matt was getting on her last nerve. One day he was boring, the next he'd be too touchy feely and the next he'd be cold and arrogant. Elena was over it, but with Rebekah all over Damon, she didn't want to break it off. If she had someone else to focus on, it'd be easier to witness the constant making out. Did that mean she was using Matt? Probably. Did he deserve it? Definitely –_ _he was an absolute douchebag._

 _As they strode out of the school, her eyes immediately fell on Damon, sitting on one of the park benches, glaring at his phone. He waited up? Elena told him several times that Matt would take her home. Aside from him ignoring her requests, she couldn't pretend she wasn't glad. She'd much rather ride with Damon._

 _Her eyes creased from her stretched smile as she began to walk over, but she was quickly jerked back by a burly arm. "Where are you going?"_

" _I'm going home with Damon." She told him, twisting on her heel to swiftly snatch her books._

" _No you're not." He stepped back, spitting fiercely at her decision._

" _Matty, he's staying at mine tonight so it's easier." She lied, putting on her best baby voice and innocent puppy eyes. Well, it wasn't all a lie. They hadn't planned for Damon to stay, but he often unexpectedly did, so he_ could _be staying._

" _Damon's allowed to stay at yours, but I'm not? I'm your boyfriend." He argued, holding her books tightly to his chest. Elena liked to think she had a bit of muscle, but Matt was built and there was no way she was getting those books from him by force._

" _Which is why you can't stay." She explained, dropping the tactics she had previously picked up. They weren't doing her any good and if anything, they were just provoking his frustration. "Jenna will think something's up."_

" _That's bullshit," He spat aggressively. Elena thought that right about now she'd be taking a step forward, claiming her possessions back. Instead, she chose to step back. She didn't know what he was capable of and she didn't want to find out. "Damon's always in your room."_

" _He's my best friend. Jenna_ trusts him _and me. And ew, as if." She scoffed as well as she could. She soon realised it wasn't convincing enough. How could it be if she couldn't even convince herself of what she was saying?_

" _Shut up, you're probably dating him on the side."_

" _What?" Elena's eyes bulged and almost fell out of their sockets. What did he just say? Did he really just insinuate that she was skanky?_

" _You heard me." She resisted the water soaking her eyelashes as he yelled at her. Everyone assumed she put out just because she was popular. It was the one insult that would urge tears every single time. Mainly because she was the opposite. The furthest Elena had ever gone was making out and it had only ever been with the one person; Matt. Though now she was highly rethinking that decision. "That's why you won't put out with me, isn't it?"_

" _Give me my books." She grinded her teeth in frustration, wiping the hot liquid off the peaks of her cheeks. In this instance, she was quite proud she hadn't let the gates flood._

" _Have 'em." She thought he had finished with his last eyeroll, releasing his grip and letting them fall all over the pavement._

 _As he turned to walk away, she bent down and started collecting the books and the papers that had spilled out of her folders. He wasn't done. Not nearly. The next thing he said may have only been a four letter word, but it kicked the gates to the waterfalls open harder than ever. All the pride had faded away when she heard him mumble "slut" under his breath, the flood fully surfacing._

" _Damon!" She called, sniffling as she looked up over to where he was sitting._

" _Hey, you're done." He smiled cheerfully, jogging over to the front of the building where she was knelt down. "E?" He asked warily now, bending down to her level. He extended his hand out to her chin, pulling her face up so he could see it. A sigh followed his actions as he tucked her hair behind her ears and out of her eyes, catching the falling liquid with his thumb. "What did he do?"_

" _He didn't do anything." She shook her head out of his grip. She really didn't want Damon to know Matt wasn't treating her right. He placed his hand back on her chin and forced her to look up at him. Her eyes met his and she saw his concern. Why couldn't he be hers? He was everything she wanted_ – _and needed. He treated her the way she was meant to be treated. But instead, he was dating an actual slut. Maintaining his image of going for the hottest girls in school. Elena was one of them, but she'd never believe that. She was convinced she wasn't pretty enough because Damon didn't want her. He never said he didn't want her, but if he did, he would've told her by now, right? Well, she hadn't, but somehow she still had the expectation that he was going to._

" _Don't lie to me, E." He warned, running his thumb along her jaw. She shut her eyes tight, biting her lower lip hard. She could never lie to him when he did that. She could hardly ever lie to him anyway._

" _He got angry with me." She swallowed, flicking her eyes open slowly to watch his reaction._

" _Why?" He asked as calmly as he possibly could. She knew that face. Damon could commit murder right now – and it wouldn't be short and sweet, no, it'd be brutal. All of a sudden she wanted to smile. He was so protective over her and so many girls don't like that, but Elena was a sucker for it. The amount of effort he would put in to cheer her up, protect her and keep her safe baffled her from time to time. Okay, all the time. She never had that at home, now that her parents were...gone._

" _Because I wanted to go home with you." She stated exasperatedly, expecting one of his sassy comebacks. A tease. A snarky comment. Something?_

" _So he threw your books on the ground?" He asked sarcastically, trying to hide the sudden colour in his cheeks. Wow. That was it? Surely he at least had an insult for Matt coming right? She nodded slowly, a smile growing at the corner of her mouth as she waited for the rest. "Tell Tantrum Tim he better watch himself." There it is._

" _Will do." She giggled, returning to her previous activity, gathering her books._

" _You can't carry those books." He took the books from her swiftly. 'Oh no.' She internally thought. 'Please don't pull a Matt. Please don't pull a Matt. Please don't pull a Matt.'_

" _Why?"_

" _Because they've been infected by Donut 2.0." He smirked, watching her stand up and dust herself off. Thank the lord._

" _I kiss him all the time and you're worried about this?" She questioned, trying her hardest to keep down another giggle._

" _Did I ever say I liked you kissing him?" He raised a brow, his smirk fading completely. The idea of kissing excited Damon. The idea of kissing Elena made Damon feel warm and fuzzy all over. But the idea of Elena kissing Matt – or anyone other than him for that matter – made his skin crawl with unsettlement and anger. She was Damon's. Well, not romantically – yet. He had always thought Elena was more beautiful than all the other girls at school. Maybe that was because he knew how beautiful she was within. Still, she was the prettiest girl he knew. Recently he'd started to develop feelings for her and it was driving him nuts. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed them before. He had always felt a strong connection since they were six years old, but he never knew what it was until a little while ago. It wasn't friendship – even though they had that strong bond too – it was...love?_

 _As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, Damon was in love with his best friend. It was strong since, well...forever, but he only came to terms with it almost a year ago when she had her first kiss with stupid fucking Matt. The jealousy and fire that spiked through his blood told him that. Watching her kiss another guy was the worst torture ever – especially since he'd probably never have her._

 _Oh, but he wished he could. He just wanted to kiss her, once. Feel her soft rosy lips pressed against his as he gently caressed her cheek. He wanted to treat her gently and lovingly, not like he did with his current girlfriend: Rebekah. Sure Rebekah was hot, but it was all attraction. She was a stone cold bitch. When they'd kiss it would be all about getting further. If he had the chance to kiss Elena, all he'd care about is her staying there, with him. As long as she was there, everything was complete. And Damon wasn't a sappy person, but when it came to Elena, he turned from a womanising, sarcastic, jock to a prince from one of those Disney movies she'd forced him to watch. Fuck, he was whipped._

" _No."_

" _Exactly." His lips formed a tight line._

" _Ouch." She twisted her head to look at the back of her shin, whining at the light sting. "I think I grazed my leg when I bent down to pick up my papers."_

" _Can you stand?" He stepped behind her and examined the cut. It was just a light graze, but he still hated seeing her hurt in any way._

" _Obviously." She laughed. "I didn't get stabbed."_

" _Hold these." He handed her her books._

" _I thought you didn't want me to get the 'Donut 2.0 virus'." She chuckled, accepting them._

" _Shut up." He bent down to pick her up, shooting her an eye roll._

" _Damon, what are you doing?" She automatically panicked as she glanced down at the floor. "I can walk."_

" _Considering you were just treated like shit and you're hurt," He started, walking over to the closest park bench – which was the one he was sitting on before. "I'm treating you how deserve to be treated."_

" _And how do I deserve to be treated?" She raised a brow as he placed her gently on the stark white painted wooden seat. He grabbed the bag he left there off the table and unzipped the smallest pocket._

" _Like a princess." He bowed before lifting her legs and sitting where they were, placing them back on his lap. He twisted around to grab the hot pink 'My Little Pony' Band-aids out of the pocket._

" _Oh my god." She gasped as he pulled one out of the beaten up packet. "You still have those?"_

" _Yep. Never took them out of my bag since we bought them." He grinned, peeling the paper off and then the protective plastic. Over a year ago, Elena bought Damon the 'My Little Pony' Band-aids from the drug store when he stacked it trying to impress none other than slutty Rebekah Mikaelson. She assumed he had trashed them as soon as he got home that day due to his embarrassment, when really; he had only kept them for her demise._

 _He carefully raised her ankle off his lap and leaned forward to find the cut. As soon as he noticed Elena was wearing a skirt, he immediately jerked his head back._

" _Why are you all red?" She pruned her face questioningly, leaning back on her elbows._

" _I'm not." He swallowed, returning to his previous position and trying his hardest to keep his eyes on her shin. He carefully stuck it down, running his thumb over it to make sure it would stay where he had placed it. "There. Now, you're a princess."_

" _Oh, I wasn't before?" She laughed, pretending she was taken aback by it._

" _You're always a princess."_

" _Stop being cheesy." She scrunched her face again. This was odd. He was always sarcastic and funny and not nice. Well he was nice to her, but he'd pretend not to be. "It's weird."_

" _I'm only being cheesy because you're hurt." He scoffed jokingly, taking her ankles off his lap and onto the floor. "But fine, I'll stop."_

" _It doesn't even hurt."_

" _Not the cut." He stated dryly now, looking her straight in the face. Again, the concern made her want to smile, but she forced her lips to stay in their natural curve._

" _I appreciate the concern, Damon, but I'm fine." She shrugged, shuffling closer to him on the seat._

" _Whatever." He knew she was lying as she coiled her long arms around his chest. But he still smiled at it, lifting his arm up and around her. "You shouldn't settle for that." She stared up at him now. She couldn't stop looking at him. Damon was soft inside. He looked hard, but if you looked inside you'd see he was just a squishy lovable marshmallow. He cared more than most people did and thought he would. Maybe that was just with Elena, but still. "For a second there, I thought you were in love with me." He chuckled, noticing her gaze._

 _"Not a chance, blushy." She furrowed her perfectly trimmed eyebrows at her, accepting the joke to fill the silence. Though she wished she'd do something else to fill it instead..._

" _Come on, I'll take you home."_

" _Okay." It was getting dark and they needed to go, but not home. To her house. Because this, sitting with Damon here, was home. He was her home. Not a place to belong in. Not a place to cherish. Her home was a human being and she much preferred it_ – _she much preferred him._

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Well at least she wasn't so foolish now. The biggest mistake she ever made was believing someone could be her home. Her safe house. But the truth is; _you can't make a home out of human beings._

As her eyes readjusted on her surroundings, she grinned. She hadn't slept in Jenna's bed since she was seventeen.

Seventeen.

She wished she was still seventeen. If she could go back she'd tell herself relationships in high school weren't worth it and that she shouldn't have jeopardised her closest friend for something more. But that something was the hardest thing she ever had to resist – even now. Since they were six years old she felt a connection, but she never knew what it was until she turned fourteen. It wasn't friendship – even though they had that strong bond too – it was...love?

As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, Elena was in love with her best friend. It was strong since, well...forever, but she only came to terms with it on her fourteenth birthday when he had his first kiss with...ugh. She couldn't even think her name. The jealousy and fire that spiked through her blood told her that. She may have declared her love for him that day, but she knew he thought it was a friendly said I love you to each other countless times every day. How was he supposed to know she meant it in a different way this time?

Either way, Elena continued her life pretending she didn't love him and pushing her fire and rage away every time she saw him make out with another girl or tell her he had sex. She rejected it until her seventeenth birthday. Which she counted as being sixteen since it happened before midnight on the 21st of June 2011.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

" _You decent yet?" Damon knocked on her door in a rhythmic pattern. He had only been waiting outside for near a minute, but he was extremely impatient today. He was hoping to ask the fatigued Elena out to lunch for her birthday before they went to sleep, and knowing him, working up the nerve would be difficult. Not a date, per say, but a nice birthday treat before her real present. In Damon's eyes it would be sort of like a date, but he prayed Elena wouldn't notice until they were actually on it. There were a few reasons, the main being; she might be reluctant if she knew. There was a fifty-fifty chance she was going to cancel, out of either a) shock, b) because she's not ready now that she's finally broken up with Matt again, or c) because she doesn't like Damon like that. Only as a_ friend _. Just like he was now; a_ friend _. God, that word hurt him. It wounded him like a butcher knife. 'Friend' was the word that he'd been hearing for over ten years. It was the word that kept him from touching her like that and looking at her the way he did. But he was. He was a friend. Her best friend. Although he always did think that would change. Or hope it would. Preferably soon. Preferably tomorrow._

" _Yeah. Come in." Elena called as she tugged the elastic out of her hair and let her straight locks fall on her almost bare back. It was just Damon, so she threw on some shorts and a simple tank. She never found the need to put on her best PJ's or look good when he was around. Besides, he was only a friend. Her best friend. God, that word hurt her. It wounded her. 'Friend' was the word that she'd been hearing for over ten years. It was the one word that prevented the daydreams she'd have in history class from becoming reality. But he was. He was a friend, her best friend. Although she always did hope that would change, eventually_ – _preferably soon._

" _You take forever." He rolled his eyes, swiftly popping the door open and throwing himself onto her bed._

" _Shut up." She rolled hers back, mirroring his steps and falling beside him._

" _So," He exhaled, hooking his arms behind his head, elbows jutting out. "are you excited for tomorrow?"_

" _No." She scoffed dramatically, turning to her side and propping herself on her elbow. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she looked at him, the dark strands a harsh contrast to her skin. He couldn't help but admire it as he struggled to find enough saliva to respond._

" _Why not?" He asked, running his tongue back and forth along the roof of his mouth, his adam's apple bobbing up and down to regain the moisture. Why had something as simple as the way her chocolate strands fell_ – _almost strategically_ – _over her jutted collarbones affect him to the point where he had to regain the ability to speak all over again? "You won't have to deal Matt_ Dumb _ovan this year."_

" _Yeah, about that–" She started, knowing what she was getting herself into._

" _What did you do?" He interrupted immediately, knowing exactly what she meant without even saying it. Here we fucking go. Here Damon was, thinking he would ask her out, and here she is, back with that self centered prick that she calls a boyfriend, as usual. Every time that douchebag would fuck up, she'd take him back within a span of two weeks. Naturally, Damon was over it. Why would she settle for this shit if someone else could give her so much more? Somebody who wouldn't screw her over_ – _like Damon. If Damon got the chance to be Elena's, he'd be treating her like the princess she is. He was a douche to Rebekah and all those other skanks, but she was different. He loved her, everything about her. If he had her, she wouldn't be a fling. Elena was the type of girl you take out and buy roses for everyday and the girl you stand outside in the rain just to get her to look at you. Elena was better. And he knew it for sure. That's especially why he didn't get why she was still stuck in 'Matty-land'. He was pathetic and childish and everything she wasn't – not that Damon was 'Mr. Perfect' either. Even if Damon was just as much of a tool, he'd treat her right, and that's what mattered when it came down to it._

" _Why do you assume I did something?"_

" _Because you always do." He answered, his tone unsettled and wary. He was not in the mood for whatever this was. It might have been her birthday - or almost - but he was done. How can one be so book smart, but not know any common sense? The common sense here was, she needed to get out of his toxicity. It was plain obvious. "You always run right back to_ Dick _ovan."_

" _Damon," She sighed, knowing he was 100% right. She knew she kept doing it, but she still went back to him. And the only logical reason she had for it, was that she needed to have a distraction just like Damon did. She needed to match Damon's abilities and show she had someone too. Even if she low key hated his guts. Even if she low key knew it wasn't a logical reason. Okay, high key. But that didn't matter, did it?_

" _Don't Damon me," He shook his head, lowering his voice. Yes, lowering, because if he raised it, his heavy lids would give way to the waterfalls. Usually he'd be able to hold the tears back_ – _he didn't often have them anyway_ – _but he was exhausted. "He isn't for you, E."_

" _Oh, and who is for me?" She asked, sitting up and crossing her arms tightly over her chest, immediately becoming more standoffish. If he was about to give her a lecture on 'finding someone better' he had another thing coming. It would be hypocritical to the maximum._

" _Someone who treats you how you deserve to be treated and actually cares about you. Even slightly."_

" _Cause you would know a lot about treating a girl right." She rolled her eyes sarcastically, her arms keeping their rigid position. It was less than an hour until her birthday and she didn't want to be dealing with this right now. She would be brutal if she had to_ – _he'd get over it. "You fuck and chuck, Damon."_

" _Well I don't string them along like Matt does," He tried to justify. It still didn't sit well with Elena. It was reality - he'd have a new girl every week. Rebekah was quite consistent though. They'd go months on and off. Either way, no justification would change her mind. But she had always thought if he was with her, he wouldn't chuck her straight away. Or hopefully ever. "and maybe when I find someone worthy of it, I'll treat them right."_

" _Yeah, ok." She laughed out dryly, raising her hands up in surrender and twisting her body the other way to face away from him. She really just wanted to either sleep, or stay up talking about anything other than this._

" _I'd treat you right." She heard him blurt quickly under his breath as she fell on her side on the cool covers. 'Hold up.' she thought. 'What did he just say?' She heard loud and clear every syllable that left his lips, but for some reason they hadn't processed into her agitated mind yet. Even after double taking she didn't get it. Perhaps because he had never said them in the same sentence before. Not even remotely close to that._

" _You'd what?" She implored, knitting her brows to the middle of her face, keeping her head on the pillow._

" _Nothing." He grunted lightly._

" _No, what did you say?" Elena insisted, arms tightening again as she sat back up and twisted around. She hated that. He didn't do it too often, but she hated when he did. How can someone begin telling something and then decide to stop after they've given out a vital piece of that thing? She wasn't about to let it go. Obviously it was important, otherwise he wouldn't hesitate._

" _Nothing." He repeated._

" _Damon?" Her tone started to become exasperated as well as frustrated that he wouldn't let up. She eyed him warningly and he struggled to resist. Those chocolate orbs were fixated on him, and not in a good way. He found himself swallowing rapidly, his adam's apple repeating its previous action when he couldn't find words. Except this time, it wasn't because he was marvelling her beauty. He was struggling to speak because she was intimidating. Weird, that a cocky character like Damon would be intimidated by a pair of soft chocolate eyes. Only Elena's._

" _E, just drop it." Damon was desperately trying to take this back, to no avail. Elena was too stubborn, and he was now wishing he hadn't even brought it up in the first place. Yes, he wanted to take her out tomorrow - on a date. But he didn't want to reveal everything tonight. And now it was going to be out there - the fact that he was in love with Elena Gilbert. All because he couldn't stop himself from thinking out loud._

" _I'm not dropping it. Tell me what you just said." She growled stubbornly._

" _I said I'd treat you right, okay!" He let up, his face reddening at the cheeks. Shit, here we go._

" _You? You would treat_ me _right?" Elena's arms dropped in surprise. Damon was avoiding her eyes, looking down at the bedspread they were sitting on instead. Wow. He never noticed how pretty it was. It was plain white with a red folded blanket along the bottom. Actually, it was pretty plain, but anything distracted him right now._

" _Yes, I'd treat you right if I had you." he murmured his reply slowly, drawing out every single letter as he finally looked up and met her eyes. Her dark ones were wide with disbelief as they met his blue and he automatically regretted letting himself gaze at them._

" _W–" She tried to get in. There were so many questions and thoughts, but the first thing she wanted to say wasn't one. She was planning on saying; 'Well then have me'._

" _Just pretend I never said anything." He cut her off and leaned back on his elbows, not wanting the flow of questions he was expecting, to come. But Elena didn't want to. She didn't spend all those years contemplating what he felt, just to forget when she finally found out. No, she wasn't letting this go._

 _So instead of turning around and going to sleep like she had previously planned, Elena kissed him. She hovered a safe distance over his body and pressed her lips needingly against his before he could object_ – _not that he would have. His lips were rigid and stiff at first, but she felt his confused face fade as he melted into her buttery lips. Despite the billions of questions he had racing through his brain at that moment, all he could do was make sure their lips didn't part._

 _So that's what he did. He moved his lips softly against hers, sliding his hand around her waist. This was a vast change from what he had ever done when kissing other girls. But as cliche as it sounded, Elena was not like the other girls. And he actually much preferred kissing her slowly. Drawing it out, letting him soak up everything he had been missing._

" _I don't want to," She gasped, in need of more air as she detached her lips from his. They were hesitant, but she needed to tell him, alongside regaining her lost breath._

 _He smirked with pure bliss, recapturing her now swollen lips and guiding her down onto her back. He rolled on top of her, still keeping the safe distance between their bodies - he didn't want to overstep any boundaries. Knotting her fingers in his locks, she pulled his face closer to hers._

" _Good."_

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

She rejected the feelings for three years and when she found out he spent just as many nights convincing himself he didn't love her like that and that they were friends and only friends, she jumped on the opportunity without even giving him time to say anything more.

But betrayal, even by the closest person to you, causes you to shut down. All systems fail and you do the only thing you think can get you away from them. Leave. Flee. But it becomes harder when you're still attached. Mentally and in Elena's case, physically.

That's always something Elena regret about leaving Damon. She didn't get to tell him before she left and in the process she took away what might have been his future. Well, she did try, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't even bother hearing her out before he tossed her and his future aside – again. If anything, it was his fault he missed out.

As she bounced off the bed and stumbled over to the door, her ears rung with sweet laughter. She wasted no time and jogged downstairs. As she stumbled into her old kitchen, she admired what was in front of her. Jenna was teaching Dylan and Jeremy how to make her shitty pancakes. She used to make them every morning and most of the time, Elena would pass on breakfast. They truly were horrible, but that's what made them memorable.

"Morning." Elena announced herself, walking behind them all and placing a gentle kiss on each one's cheek.

"Morning." They all replied in unison, glancing back at her.

"How was yesterday?" Dylan asked.

"It was alright." She lied, plonking herself on a stool, and grasping all her hair into a low messy bun.

"Aunt Jenna said it sucked." He replied, bunching his eyebrows to a halt in the middle of his face.

As Elena gritted her teeth and gave her a glare, Jenna mouthed a discreet; "Sorry."

"Yeah, it did suck." She admit as he came towards her. "But it's okay."

"Are you okay?" He asked, smoothing her right shoulder with his warm palm in comfort.

"I'm fine, Dyl." She nodded, pulling him into her chest. "How was your night?"

"It was great!"

"Great, huh?" Elena raised a brow as he pulled out of her embrace.

"Jer taught me how to draw."

"He did?" She pursed her lips to the left.

"Well, whatever Da...my friend taught me." Jeremy corrected himself, knowing not to bring him up in front of Dylan. Elena didn't enjoy hearing his name anyway, but she especially warned Jeremy not to speak it when Dyl was around.

"Your friend's name is Da?" Dylan laughed.

"Yeah, weird name." Elena answered, nodding quickly and standing from her position to make herself a coffee. Mmm that's what she needed right now. "Jenna? Is the old mechanic near the border still here?"

"Yeah I've got the number on the fridge." Jenna mumbled through her chews, pointing in it's direction.

"I've got to call about my car." She explained, pulling the little _'Lockwood & Lockwood Mechanic Mystic Falls'_ magnet off the fridge. "I can't drive back up to New York. _She'll_ break down."

"Does that mean we're staying?" Dylan questioned excitedly.

"For a day or two, yes." She smiled promptly at him. Yes, she maintained her smile for him, but in reality, the idea of staying for even a day more made her want to crawl into a little ball and cry.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed! Sorry again :/** **Please leave a review, it helps me improve and know whether you guys are enjoying it.**

 **Say, have you guys read my other DE fic Silver Linings yet? Thanks to all that have xx Those of you that haven't, please try it out while you wait for my updates :)))**

 **See you next week**

 **\- Jasmine**


	4. You're Everywhere

**A/N: Hey, what's up you guys?! I'm back :) Ok, ok I didn't completely deliver in a week, but I was only a day or two off this time so I'm getting better! My amazing Beta iwantyoudamon hasn't had time to edit anything in this, but I decided I was happy with it, posted it now! I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer!**

 **Next week may be a little late because I'm pretty sure I'm out all week, but we'll see :) Enjoy!**

 **P.S. This is continuing where we left off exactly last chap!**

* * *

"Does anyone want to go on a run to the high school with me?" Elena asked, jogging down the stairs in some running tights and a fitted active tee. She called the mechanic, and after an awkward catch up session with Tyler's uncle, Mason, he had agreed to tow her car from the school to his small shop on the outskirts of town. She was getting a ride there anyway and she didn't have a car, so she decided she'd go for a run like she would before work in New York. She wasn't a teenager anymore, meaning she couldn't maintain her perfect hourglass figure without daily exercise, and even if she was, she wasn't on a holiday. Frankly, this place was more like a hell on earth. So she had to keep up her routine like it was any normal day, otherwise she'd crumble.

"No." They all answered. She gathered all her hair in a palm and tied it up in a high pony as she peered into the living room.

"Okay, see you in an hour or two." She grinned as she noticed they were playing Monopoly. God, she wished she could just stay protected in this house with her family, relishing in their shock ridden faces as she cleared all their properties and beat them all. But that meant prolonging her stay, because to get out of here, she needed to fix her car.

 _Right. Stay on task, Elena._

"Bye!" They called as she put her earphones in and closed the door. It was pretty nice outside, so she was happy to run. As she jogged at a steady pace down the streets of her old town, she found herself missing it. Missing this place she'll forever call home. Small towns were always her thing – well, she'd never lived in a city until now. The people, the atmosphere and the family ticked all five stars in her mind, making her take Mystic Falls preference over the _City That Never Sleeps_. _Everything_ was just better. But sometimes, _everything_ 's not enough. Sometimes, you have to compromise ideality for other, _more important_ things. Like the beneficial factors New York possessed in keeping her and her family's mental health up to scratch.

Of course, it was disheartening knowing she'd given up what could've been her perfect life for an incident that took place within five minutes of her life, but it was what had to be done.

"Elena?" A perky British voice echoed from behind her. Fuck. She knew that voice anywhere. Now that, was someone she never thought she'd see again.

"Rebekah." She grinned falsely, yanking her earphones out and turning around slowly.

"How are you?" She asked, leaning forward for what looked like a hug. Elena stepped back immediately, dodging it. If Elena had come in physical contact with Rebekah, she'd _probably_ either a) pull her pretty blond hair until it fell out, b) hug her so damn tight that she suffocated, or c) just straight up punched her right in the snout. Each option consisted then, of Elena scrubbing her body to the bone ASAP to make sure either a) she hadn't contracted herpes, b) her skin wasn't infected with the different colone of at least two hundred odd men, c) develop the urge to sleep with everyone within a five meter radius of her - yes, _everyone_ , or d) all of thee above. In this rare encounter with the beast of ' _promiscuity_ ', distance was vital for survival.

"Great." Elena answered.

"Look," Rebekah started, and Elena already wanted to punch her perfect teeth out. Damn they were so freaking straight! How is that even possible? "Elena I'm really so–"

"Don't." Elena interrupted, not realising she had her hand up in defence if the exotic creature were to step any closer. She really didn't want a fake apology – or one at all. In fact, she didn't want anything to do with Rebekah Mikaelson and all her men – and women. All she wanted was to enjoy her run. "I don't want your apology."

"I just thought–" Rebekah tried to reason. It seemed as though she had changed. If not drastically, slightly, but it didn't matter. Elena couldn't forgive, nor forget her actions. No amount of apology will change that. So what was the point of listening? Making herself clear was the only way to ensure she never 'ran into' the blonde again.

"Whatever you thought you could fix, you were wrong." She cut in again, placing her earphones back in and turning back around before she could interject. "Nice seeing you."

* * *

As Elena approached the school parking lot, she was still cooling down from her 'run in' with Rebekah. She was calmer than she thought she'd be, actually. She always imagined if she ever saw the blonde again she'd abuse her with her personal choice of cuss words. She did always hate her, but it was the personal things she did that affected her most.

She was that bitch in high school that would do anything to get rid of competition, and as much as Elena didn't think she was worthy competition, she was the biggest competitor there was. for _Everything_. Rebekah was like the _Regina George_ of Mystic Falls High School. Elena was her _Cady Heron_ – except she was never part of her group and she didn't have a _Damian Leigh_ and _Janis Ian_. Okay, she wasn't really like her ' _Cady'_ other than being her main competitor. Just a hypothetical – Elena's favourite when she'd vent to strangers in the coffee shop below the apartment.

"Sorry I'm late." She apologised, walking slowly up to the old car to see Mason leaning against it. "Had a run in with an old...friend."

"No problem." He nodded. He looked a bit older, but not much. Just a few greys shining through. "So I've already hooked it up, as you can see. All we need to do is tow it and then we'll check what's up."

"Sounds good." She smiled, following him to the front of the tow truck. She jumped in and tried not to let her gag reflexes take control of her as the horrid smell made it's way up her nostril chambers. It was a mixture of sweat, grease and stale food and it was burning her fragile senses. This would be a long drive.

* * *

Once they made it to the mechanic, she had to take at least five minutes to air that disgusting stench out of her clothes.

"Elena?" Tyler called as he peered out of the garage.

"Tyler." She smiled widely, pushing her weight off her knees as he approached. She lifted her arms around his neck and pulled him into her embrace, hoping not to infect his nostrils with the odour too. She was pretty close with Tyler before she left – he was Damon's other best friend. He'd be over Damon's some of the time she was and she considered him a good friend. But she couldn't even think of contacting him after she left because chances were, Damon was around and she didn't want to risk it. Now, it didn't matter. Now, she was just happy to see her old friend that truthfully, she had missed.

"How have you been, _Little 'Lena_?" He asked as she pulled away.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

" _Damon!" Elena called from his bed. He had been downstairs for at least twenty minutes and she was getting extremely bored. She had already skimmed through his drawers, studied his furniture, peed, and was now fiddling with the soft sheets on his huge bed. "Damon!"_

" _What?!" He answered. She felt his footsteps shake the house as he walked up the stairs. The steps were so heavy, she knew he wasn't alone. She quickly threw on a jacket to hide her semi-exposed chest. She didn't really care with Damon, but any cleavage showing, and whoever he was bringing might try something. Matt had, so why wouldn't any other guy?_

" _You took forever. What were you doing down there?" She asked as he entered the room with his friend Tyler by his side._

" _Sorry, it was his fault." He apologised, plonking himself on the bed. "Tyler's only staying for dinner."_

" _Oh okay." She shrugged, rolling off her stomach so he had somewhere to sit. "Hey Tyler."_

" _Hey Little 'Lena."_

" _Little 'Lena?" Damon asked. Elena giggled slightly as she noticed his face change. She knew that stare. He could easily burn two clean holes through Tyler's skull right now with that stare. "Don't call her that."_

" _Damon, it's fine." She assured him, holding a hand up. "It's just a nickname."_

" _I'm the one who gives you nicknames." He raised his brows more playfully now. She could tell he was still infuriated._

" _Damon." She pressed._

" _It's fine. Sorry, Elena." Tyler smiled, articulating the E._

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

"I'm alright." She nodded, her smile washing off her lips. That question always made her uncomfortable. Because, no, she wasn't good or alright or even decent. She was shit. Sure, there were things and people in her life that were good or great or even amazing, but her life and situation itself was absolute bull-fucking-shit and she hated pretending like it wasn't to prevent people from probing her with endless questions.

"Just alright?" He sighed questioningly.

"Yeah, well what about you?" She grew the smile back as she inflicted his question. Except this time it was forced. Very, very forced.

"I'm good." He nodded, noticing the topic wasn't a loved one. "We need to catch up before you go."

"How do you know I'm leaving?" She questioned. If he had spoken to Damon, he'd know, but hopefully he hadn't and wasn't going to. If Damon knew she hadn't left yet, he'd probably try to talk to her again or even purposely place himself in situations she'd be in, and she did _not_ want that.

"...Mason told me." He trailed off, crossing his arms into his chest nervously.

"Oh okay." She sighed. Well thank god. "Yeah I'll try to organise something. Your number still the same?"

"Yep."

"Okay, well I changed mine, so expect a text from an unknown number in the next day or two." She shrugged.

"You're car is set up inside," He announced, motioning to the garage with his head. "After you."

"Thank you." She grinned. Now this was a walk down memory lane. She hadn't been back here since the beginning of senior year.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

 _Elena sat patiently in one of the hard plastic chairs on the edge of the street, outside the mechanic garage. She waited there every time Damon would come after school. She never really knew why he was here all the time. Yeah, Tyler was his best friend - other than her of course - but it was at least twice a week. Not that she could complain, they were literally over each other's houses every day. They probably hadn't missed one day in a whole year. So, she couldn't really be jealous. Besides, he did drag her along to the garage every time anyway, so he was never ditching her._

 _She glanced down at her watch and frowned as she noticed he was taking longer than usual. Every other day he'd take ten minutes max, but he had already been gone eighteen. Maybe she was just being a controlling_ girlfriend _, but it was getting dark outside anyway._

 _Elena stood up, heading over to the garage door. She ducked under the half shut door and with no one in sight, she decided she needed to further investigate. Usually, the pair's hearty laughs would radiate throughout the area, even reaching her favourite white plastic chair from time to time. Sighting Damon's car was out front,_ Detective Gilbert _came to the conclusion that he couldn't have ventured far._

 _She paced around the room, peering into every door and window she could. She approached the last room, leaning on the balls of her feet to search the room without entering. She didn't want to overstep any boundaries._

 _She frowned in worry as her eyes darted from side to side. She was more worried that he had left and went to the Mikaelson's, rather than anything else. Still, Damon wasn't the type to leave and go there. Especially now that he was_ done _with Rebekah. Either way, the fear always lay in the deep inside her when he wasn't in sight. Crazy girlfriend? Definitely._

" _Boo!" Damon said, placing his hands on her waist._

" _AHHH!" She squealed, elbowing the figure behind her and attempting to run._

" _Ouch." He groaned as he held his sore chest with one hand, trying to keep her from getting away with the other. "Elena, it's just me."_

" _What the fuck?!" She yelled, turning around to view him. "Seriously?"_

" _Not my fault you're a_ Scaredy Cat _." Damon teased._

" _You're a dick." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms tightly to her chest as she leaned back against the cold brick wall, unhappy with herself for not cracking the case before he launched his attack._

" _I know," He smirked, placing his hand next to her head on the wall. She inhaled as he did the same with the other and cornered her. "but you love it."_

 _She uncrossed her arms and placed them on his neck as he dipped his head down to hers, pressing down on her lips. One of his hands slowly travelled to the hem of her shorts, fiddling with the fabric as her arms coiled further around his upper back. His fingertips circled her upper thighs and her breath hitched under his swirling tongue. They probably shouldn't be making out in the middle of the garage, but Elena couldn't pull her lips off of his. It was too difficult. He was touching her in all the right places to make her insides ooze with heat. Pushing closer against her, he pulled on her lip with his._

" _Hm hm." Tyler interrupted. Damon treated it as white noise, continuing to caress Elena's lips with his, but Elena knew they had to stop._

 _With hesitation, she peeled her lips off his and untangled her arms from his neck. At the loss of contact, his lips tried to glue themselves to hers, but when she mumbled; "Damon, later", he forced himself to follow suit. Keeping a hand on her waist, they both turned to Tyler in apology._

" _Seriously Damon, I was gone three minutes." Tyler chuckled, shaking his head._

" _Sorry, she's irresistable." He shrugged._

" _I look bad today." She felt a smile tease the edge of her mouth as she rolled her eyes._

" _Shut up, you never look bad." He shook his head, pruning his face into a little ball. Elena couldn't look like shit if she had two black eyes, hadn't showered for days and had dirt all over her. Everyday was a good day_ – _at least to Damon._

" _I'm not even wearing any makeup." She scoffed._

" _So?" He questioned, raising his brow up to his hairline. "That's better."_

" _Look at my dark circles." She pointed._

" _What dark circles?" He asked, pulling her face close to his to observe._

" _Are you blind?" She groaned, crossing her arms back into her chest._

" _E, you don't have any." He said deliberately, gripping her shoulders._

" _Yes. What's this?" She asked, sweeping her pointer fingers under her bottom lashes, determined to prove him wrong._

" _Guys," Tyler sighed, rolling his eyes again. "I want to go home."_

" _Sorry." They both mumbled._

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

Mason slid out from under _Lyla_ , wiped his face and stood up. He placed the heavy wrench he was holding onto the desk as he looked up and smiled; "I think I know what's wrong with her."

"That was quick." Elena exhaled.

"The oil tank has a massive hole in it. I'm going to have to either seal it or just order you a new one." He explained, looking at her apologetically.

"Whatever's quicker." She smiled, wanting to get out as soon as possible. This place not only smelt just like that truck, but gave her massive hit of nostalgia and she found herself loathing the very place she used to constantly visit.

"The seal is quicker, but you'll have to eventually get it fixed. Are you sure you don't want a new one?" He asked, trying to be helpful. Elena, again, wasn't with it. But she appreciated his concern.

After a long pause and contemplation of the long term benefits, she agreed. "Alright, order me a new one."

"Great. It'll take four to eight days to arrive and an extra to install. I'll give you a call when it comes in." He grinned, writing the details of the car down in a booklet.

"Do you want me to pay some of it now?" She asked, fully intending to grab her wallet and place a deposit.

"Pay? Elena, you're not paying." Tyler interjected, laughing slightly at her offer. "On us."

"Tyler, I couldn't–"

"Consider it a welcome home gift." He offered.

"You do know I'm not staying right?" She chuckled, grinning widely at his kindness.

"Just take it." He implored quietly, leaning in for a hug.

"You're the best." She praised, accepting the gesture and wrapping her hands around his torso for the second time today. "Thank you both so much."

"No problem."

"I better get back to...Jenna." She yawned, letting him go. "I'll be sure to give you a call."

After saying her goodbyes and countless words of gratitude, she ducked under the metal door.

"You're still here?" She heard a heavy voice ask from behind her. Glancing at the blue car parked on the side of the road, she confirmed her suspicions.

"Like you said, I can't drive up to New York in my car." She nodded, pressing her lips into a tight line. She should've known he'd be here. Five years might be a long time, but people _don't_ change – hardly, if they do. Who else did he ever hang around apart from her? Tyler. And where did Tyler usually hang? Here. Even the _retired detective_ couldn't put two and two together.

"How long are you here for?" He asked, not daring to inch closer. They were at least ten meters apart, but he knew if he came closer she wouldn't still be talking to him.

"A few days." She swallowed, pressing her weight on the balls of her heels.

"Let me guess," He started. "Mason has to order a part. That alone takes four to eight days. Then we have to replace the old part with the new part. So you're looking at at least five days, give or take?" He raised a brow in question. Even though she was, she didn't like that he was implying she was lying. How did he know anyway? Was he still able to read her? Well it was one thing to read her, but knowing her exact situation was weird. Even as friends he wasn't able to do that. At least not that she knew of. Oh, and ' _we'_? She exhaled loudly, flicking her eyelids up from the ground in tire. "Thought so."

"How did you know?" She ran her tongue along the dry skin on her bottom lip, darting her eyes to the space next to him. Primarily because if she watched him as he talked, the words would become white noise and she'd just end up reminiscing the way those lips moved against hers, or how he used to use them to whisper sweet nothings into her ears.

"I know you." He shrugged nonchalantly. That wasn't true. He _used to_ know her. He _knew_ her. But she hadn't completely changed. "And...I work here." He clenched his jaw in embarrassment. Oh, so that's what he meant by _'we'_. She knew straight away he wasn't proud of his occupation. Why? Because he always talked about how he'd go to art school and design the pieces for the Mystic Falls art exhibitions and auction off his sketches. But not all of them. He always said he'd keep one. The one of her laughing intently on his bed in his navy button up. Three buttons undone and nothing underneath.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

" _Elena?" Damon mumbled as he lifted his head off the pillow. He had expected to see her glancing back at him as he opened his eyes._

 _She smiled at his adorable state as she stumbled in from the bathroom. "Hey."_

" _Hey," He replied as she threw herself onto the bed next to him. "Thought you might have left without me."_

" _No," She started as she adjusted on top of the sheets. "We don't have to be at school for…" She trailed, holding her bare wrist up to her view. "at least twenty minutes ago." She grinned into his lips as she leaned forward to reach him._

" _Who are you," He chuckled lightly. In the span of a month, Elena had become less concerned about school and more about spending every waking minute with Damon. She wouldn't have dared being a second late in the past. "And what have you done with Elena?"_

" _Shut up, you love it." She pecked him. He smiled to himself, admiring the curves of her cleavage as he stroked her hair gently. Since they finally became a thing almost five months ago, he had her several times. None, however, had been as great as this. As his eyes kept their gaze, analysing her, he thought about all the times he had felt guilty for briefly glancing_ their _way. He used to be ashamed of even looking at_ them _. Now, all he wanted to do was leave sloppy kisses along_ their _curvature. He wanted to show her how much he appreciated_ them _. And, everything else about her. "What's that face?"_

" _What face?" He raised his brows, letting his gaze linger a little longer before he returned his eyes to hers._

" _That face." She smiled softly down at him. He hadn't noticed, but a huge smirk had washed over his lips._

 _His eyebrows stretched to his hairline and his pupils rolled back as his lips strung smoothly; "I'm happy."_

 _A wide grin stretched to the sides of her cheeks as he smiled into her lips like she had previously. Not wanting to lose contact, as he leaned on his back, she rolled on top of him, pulling his jaw up to allow her tongue entrance with her finger. His eyes faltered shut as she dragged her lips down the side of his mouth, then down his pecs and chest. Extending her hand up to his neck, she flicked her head up to look at him. She wanted to see what she was doing to him. She wanted to know he loved it. As his mouth fell open, she knew she was doing well. But as he immediately shook his head out of her grip, she sat up in confusion._

" _I know what I want to do for the Duke Art Competition." Damon opened his eyes abruptly as she shifted off him and back onto her side of the bed. He sprung from the mattress and rushed over to his desk._

" _You've been trying to come up with an idea for weeks and it comes now?" She scoffed, confusion on her brow as she tucked her knees into her chest. He quickly returned with his sketch book, pencil and eraser. "What is it?"_

" _You." He breathed, dropping the items onto the silky Egyptian Cotton sheets._

" _You want to paint_ me _for your biggest chance at getting into art school?" She asked, leaning forward. Of course she'd be beyond happy for Damon to paint her. He'd done it a few times before and sketched her hundreds of others. But she wasn't sure a simple girl from a small town would be a good inspiration. Obviously she was flattered that she inspired him, but part of the criteria was having a historical, cultural or contemporary inspiration. How would he fit her into it?_

" _Why wouldn't I?" He asked, heading to his drawer and throwing on some sweatpants. She giggled at that. He never wore sweatpants out. He claimed it too 'Stefan'._

" _Okay, your choice." She shrugged, trusting his judgement. He knew more about this stuff than she did. She did however, know his routine. He'd always get her to do something and she'd have to stay still for ages. She didn't mind though. She felt kind of special. He was literally watching her for hours. "What do you want me to do?"_

" _Lay down on the bed and we'll go from there." He instructed, as he grabbed the pencil and put it up to his lips in thought. He sat on one corner of the bed with his book balancing on his knee._

" _Now what?" She asked._

" _Change sides." He pointed, observing where the sunlight was coming in from. It was broken into shard like fragments and if she was positioned right, it'd create the effect he envisioned in the heavenly state he was in a couple of minutes ago._

" _I thought that was your 'special side'." She rolled her eyes._

" _Shut up." He laughed, making little notes on a spare page. "Take your clothes off."_

" _What?" Her eyes bulged at his nonchalant tone. She was not going to let him submit a naked portrait of her to Duke University. No way in hell. "No."_

" _E, you won't be naked. You're wearing my shirt." He spoke justifyingly._

" _You said take off my clothes." She narrowed her eyes on him warningly, sitting up. "That implies me being naked."_

" _I said_ your _clothes, not_ mine _." He chuckled, shaking his head as he kept his eyes glued to the spare paper, making notes on how his inspiration would link to the bigger picture._

" _Still. This is Duke University. I'd rather them not see me half naked."_

" _Okay, a) you're not even going to Duke, b) they won't know who the painting is of, and c) it's art_ – _almost everyone is naked." He explained, glancing up at her briefly as his pencil moved with a mind of it's own. "You're lucky I'm letting you be somewhat clothed."_

" _You're lucky I'm letting you paint me." She groaned, folding her arms tightly into her chest. "Don't push it."_

" _Please, E..." He begged, finally fully looking at her._

" _Ugh…" She sighed, standing off the mattress and peeling her black panties down her legs. "You're lucky_ I love you _."_

"I love you _too." He grinned, peeling the page of notes off and starting with a fresh new sheet of art paper._

" _You better." She scoffed, sliding his top off, unclipping her bra and shrugging it back on her shoulders, returning to her spot on the bed. "Next?"_

" _Lay on your side," He started. She followed immediately. "No, sort of…" She moved back and forth, trying to take his direction. It was difficult though. He kept changing his mind. "I'll move you." He decided, walking to the other side of the bed. Gently readjusting her shapes, he guided her onto her side. Moving her limbs into the perfect positions, he combed her semi-straight hair into place. He adjusted his navy blue button up on her skin so she was somewhat covered. Not only did he want to make her feel comfortable, but he also wanted to keep her slightly hidden. He liked to think he wasn't very possessive, but there were times where he'd draw the line. Even when they were only friends, he wouldn't want anyone to see her like that. Now that she was his to hold and see, he'd rather not have other people viewing her too. Those were_ his _parts of her body to admire. They were_ his _to love and kiss and leave mauve markings on. They were_ hers _and_ he _was the only one allowed to see them. So as long as she wasn't completely revealed, he could cope with the idea of people viewing her body. Besides, it was incredibly aesthetically pleasing._

" _Hurry up and get started, I'm not staying like this forever." She complained as he returned to his previous activity and found the perfect spot to sketch the draft from. Yes, the draft. The painting would take a while and he wasn't going to make her stay in that position forever. A detailed sketch would be enough for him to do it without her there. Though he'd much rather analyse her every detail for hours on end._

 _He took a quick photo of her with his phone to make sure he could catch everything he'd missed later._

" _Okay, Cranky Pants." He teased, starting with the basic shape of her figure. Gripping his pencil loosely, his hand swerved against the paper in rhythm. Once he had the basis, he defined from her feet first, allowing her to relax each part of her body as he finished each off. He stuck to every little shadow. Every swerve and curve. Every little detail down to the way her knees would bend and the ridges right under to her hipbones. He had covered from right below her upper thighs to right above her hip bones, reopening the shirt at her stomach and leaving the navy fabric to fall over the peaks of each breast, just covering them. Cleavage was clearly still visible, but through a lot of self control, Damon resisted closing it more. Nobody at Duke would know this was_ his _Elena. Heck, nobody would even know it is Elena. They'd just think he drew her free hand or off inspiration of another artist. As hard as it was, he got through it, gliding the lead up to the collar of the shirt which finished on the tip of each collarbone. "Can you laugh?"_

" _I can't just laugh." She giggled._

" _That." A grin washed over his lips. "Do that again." Without trying, the same giggle fell naturally off her lips, her head jerking back slightly. "Stop right there." He stated. She stopped where she was, mid giggle, trying not to laugh out of that position. Her mouth was slightly open, her front teeth were peaking and a huge grin stretched across her face, creasing the corners of her eyes. It was pure beauty. Natural beauty at it's finest. "I won't take long." He said, trying to catch every detail he could as quickly as he could to put her out of her misery. Her mouth was getting tired and her body was tense from holding herself up. As his pencil rounded off the last few eyelashes, he compared the sketch to her real life figure. Of course the sketch was rough and in person she literally looked like an angel, but he was proud. This would be his masterpiece. "Done. Relax."_

" _Thank god." She whined, collapsing on her back. "How long was that?"_

" _Almost two hours." He said apologetically._

" _My back is so sore."_

" _Want a massage?" He asked._

" _Yes." She exhaled, reaching out to him. "First, show me."_

" _Here." He passed the booklet to her._

" _Wow." She sighed, running her fingers lightly over the ridges and shading he had created. "It's beautiful."_

" _It wouldn't be if you weren't." He smiled genuinely, rolling onto the bed next to her._

" _So..." She trailed, closing the book. "Once the competition is over, are you going to sell it?"_

" _Definitely not." He shook his head, nudging her to roll onto her stomach._

" _Why?" She questioned, flipping herself over. Damon propped himself on his elbow to reach her back. As he pressed down on one of the ridges below her shoulder blade with his thumb, she moaned in release._

" _So when we have our own house I get to see it everyday while I work on my art." The words rolled off his tongue like velvet as he kneaded the other side of her back._

" _I love you." She exhaled, repeating his words in her head over and over._

" _I love you more." He beamed._

" _Are we even going to school?" She asked seriously after a long pause. Even being less careful, Elena knew school was important in her future. Especially senior year. But missing one day wouldn't kill her, would it?_

" _Is that an actual question?"_

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

He promised he'd keep that one and they'd hang it up in their house and he'd get to admire it every day when he'd go off to his studio in the morning. It would be there, hanging on the shitty sky blue paint jobbed wall as he sipped his bourbon, creating more and more masterpieces of his muse. Then, when he'd have his exhibitions and auction them and people would ask who he painted in every single one of his works, he'd say; the most beautiful woman in the world.

But that promise consisted words he had said, and _everything is easier said than done_.

Elena knew to leave it alone. She wasn't close enough to him to ask and she didn't want to be. She could deal with the lost information of five years of his life, because she wasn't in it. Trying to insert herself now wasn't something she wanted to do.

"Oh." She decided she'd say.

"How are you getting home?" He questioned, stepping forward slightly. Elena knew what he was about to offer and there was no way she was taking it this time. Last night, she knew it would end horribly, and it did. She was not going to let him drive her. Not one chance.

"I'm running."

"Are you sure?" He started, finally noticing the clothes she was wearing. Everything was fitted and he didn't like it. It was too revealing. Everyone could see her curves. But it was her choice and as much as he hated it, his opinion wasn't valid when it came to her. Well, he didn't hate it. He just hated that everyone else got to view what he was right now. "Cause I can–"

"I can run." She interrupted, quickly unrolling her earphones and shoving them in her ears.

"I'll probably see you around town then." He stated, but it sounded more like a question. She hoped not, but there was no way to prevent it – other than not go out. Either way, she knew how to deal with the confrontation now. Just answer his questions briefly and get out as soon as possible.

"I wouldn't count on it." She said, clicking play on her music and jogging off.

* * *

"Jeremy! Really?" Elena groaned for the millionth time, whacking his arm with the back of her hand.

"What?" Jeremy chuckled, shoving two small blueberries up his nostrils and flashing a toothy smile.

"You're twenty one, not five." She stated, trying not to let out a giggle. "Help me."

"Fine." He whined, rolling his eyes in a full two circles.

"Do they still sell _Ben and Jerry's_ here?" She asked, pushing the trolley up against the edge of the freezer.

"How am I supposed to know? I don't live here anymore." He scoffed. "And since when do you get Ben and Jerry's?"

"Dylan loves it."

"Little Gilbert?" Damon questioned, a little box of tomatoes in his hand.

"Damon?" Jeremy gasped, shooting the blueberries out of his nose.

" _You're_ fucking _everywhere_." She mouthed under her breath. Acting like she was occupied, she scanned the freezer for the _Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough_ tubs.

"Hey Jer." He laughed, walking over to give him a hug. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good, you?" Jeremy replied. Elena stuck her head in the cool freezer. She wasn't trying to hide, she was just trying to find the stupid _Ben and Jerry's_ ice cream and avoid talking to Damon for the second time today. The first was difficult and awkward enough.

"Yeah, alright." He nodded. "You still drawing?"

"Yeah. Hey, thanks man, without you I wouldn't be in art school." Jeremy grinned. Damon sighed at that. Not because he wasn't happy for Jeremy – he meant a lot to him, kind of like a second brother even if he often teased him. But because Damon was supposed to be there too. If he had just taken the offer, he would've been in his last year now. He didn't see the point in going to Duke if Elena – the one who pushed him to pursue his art in the first place – wasn't by his side. But he should've taken the offer. He would've been designing the town pieces by now, and maybe even made it to the New York exhibitions.

"No need. You're extremely talented." He commended, bowing his head slightly.

"Have you finished your course yet? I'm only halfway through mine."

"I…never started it." Damon trailed, keeping his gaze fixated on Jeremy.

"Why not?" Jeremy questioned. "You got the scholarship."

"I guess I just lost my main inspiration." He swallowed, quickly glancing in Elena's direction. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip and he could tell he struck a nerve. She was listening, and she new what he was referring to. Or _who_ , he was referring to. "Anyway, I better go."

"Hey, you should come over for dinner one night." Jeremy spoke up.

"Jeremy!" Elena shout-whispered, her eyes popping out their sockets as she slammed the freezer door.

"Sorry, Elena's a bit tired." Jer covered, rolling his eyes at her before returning his focus to Damon. "Before we leave?"

"Oh, I don't know..."

"You'll get to meet Dylan." Jer drew out the name in attempt to persuade the dark haired man in front of him.

"Dylan?" Damon questioned. The name sounded rather familiar.

"Yeah, Elena's–"

"My boyfriend." She clenched her jaw, eyeing Jeremy not to say anything more. He took the hint and shut up, making a mental note to ask her about it later.

"Ok, sounds good." Damon lifted his eyebrows cockily, his stance growing stiff.

"What?" Elena had to double take at that. Did he actually want to have dinner with them?

"Sounds good." He repeated quickly, his tone becoming short and cold. "I assume you 'lost' my number. Jer do you still have it?"

"Yep." Jer nodded. He seemed to be unaware of the change in attitudes.

"Text me, I'm free all week. Should I bring Stefan?"

"Yeah, if you want to." He shrugged, keeping the conversation at a casual level.

"Cool. See you then. Bye Little Gilbert." He waved, turning towards the checkouts. "Hey, E?" He stopped, realising how cold he had become. Truth was, he had no right to get upset if Elena had a boyfriend. It was five years since she left and that obviously meant they were _over_. It was time for him to get over it and move on. She _obviously_ had. But that didn't mean he couldn't suss out _the competition_ at this dinner. Scratch that, it didn't mean he couldn't suss out _her new man_ at this dinner. Yeah, that's better.

"What?" She said with the same tone he had previously developed.

"Sixteen." He smiled lightly, hoping she'd forgive his short tantrum.

"See you." She sighed, reopening the freezer and getting what she originally came here for; _Ben and Jerry's._

* * *

 **Soz there is quite a bit of dialog at the end and personally (idk about you guys), I prefer less. I just thought after a lot of explanation throughout the chap, this scene didn't really need it...**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Big thanks to all who have reviewed! Please continue to review, fav and follow! Thanks guys!**

 **See ya soon x**


	5. The One That Got Away

**A/N: Hey guys if you've seen my tumblr you'd know why I haven't posted this chapter in so long. I was going to post it three weeks ago but with family complications I prolonged it for a while. Also, the lack of reviews on the last chapter has really put me off. I was most proud of it compared to the others and it was my favourite to write so I was super bummed out when it had the least reviews - I think there were three? So yeah I don't want to pressure ya'll but it really makes a write unmotivated and makes them feel like you don't like the story so please review! Even if you hate it I'd love to hear your opinion!**

 **ALSO; This was originally a huge chap but again I cut it into two cause it was too big. So if this chap gets more than TEN REVIEWS in the next two days, I will post the second half on Sunday! BUT ONLY if I get 10 because otherwise I'd rather just post it next week and refine it a bit. BESIDES, The second half of this is wayyyyy jucier than this half so I would get reviewing if I were you!**

 **Also check the bottom authors not for references in this chap xo**

* * *

Since Elena had arrived in Mystic Falls two days ago, she had veered away from her old bedroom as much as she could. The longest she'd stayed in there was to bid Dylan a goodnight before returning to Jenna's room for slumber.

Jenna and Jeremy had called her crazy for finding every excuse not to dwell in the room, but staying away was absolutely vital if Elena was going to survive the next few days here. However, she did need to grab her new change of clothes before Dylan awoke, so she'd have to risk her sanity today.

Once she had entered the room and located her suitcase, she wasted no time to exit the hell ridden room. How could something painted with pastel hues and filled with stuffed toys make her feel so queasy?

In her rush to escape, Elena's knee struck the dresser, causing her to screech silently. She sat on the floor, trying to keep the whines that were flying out of her mouth to a minimum as she clenched her hands over her knee cap.

Her eyes wandered over the almost immaculate room while she waited for the pins and needles to fade away. It was pretty much exactly the way she left it; neat, aesthetic, very teenager-ish. The bed still had the same plain white covers with the folded royal red blanket on the bottom edge – though right now, it was half on the floor. The furniture was still placed exactly the same, and all the belongings she had left behind were in the exact positions she'd left them. It was like the room hadn't been touched since she rushed out with her two suitcases and piled boxes all that time ago. The large horse painting above her bed was still hanging in it's lopsided position, the curtains were still, like it was a freeze frame or a photograph. Even the stuffed toys accumulated over the years were in the same exact spot, a reminder of all the things she had chosen to forget – and for a reason.

Everything about it was rather disturbing, her stomach churning with every memory evoked, but there were certain things that triggered her unsettlement more than others. Mainly; the varied A4 sketches taped messily on the furthest wall from her. Her teenage self had stuck them all down with baby blue tape – of course, baby blue – in the neatest arrangement possible. She shouldn't have been staring, but once her eyes fell on them, she couldn't look away. She had almost completely forgotten about them, but now she found herself wanting to fully reminisce. They were each significant pinpoints of her happiest memories.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

" _Awe Damey," Elena teased, holding fists up to her eyes, mimicking Damon's almost sobbing state. He wasn't impressed, grumbling roughly as she continued to call him that dumb name._

" _Don't call me that." He growled lowly, rolling his eyes. Just because Rebekah called him that, didn't mean she had to rub it in his face when he was upset. In her defense, the reason he was upset concerned Rebekah, so it was slightly appropriate, but he didn't need, nor want it._

" _Why, Damey? I think it's cute," A toothy grin broke out on her face as she called on her best cutesy voice and pleading eyes, urging a faint smirk at his lips. "Damey, Damey, Damey, Dame–"_

" _E, seriously stop." He glared at her as she continued to chant his hated nickname._

" _Damey, Damey, Da–" She broke off as she felt all her muscles tense up tight, curling into a little ball. He knew the only way to shut her up was to force her into a fit of laughter. So that he did, wriggling one hand against her neck and the other on the ridge where her stomach met her waist. Hearty chuckles vibrated through her and a full smile washed across Damon's previously downturned lips. "M-mercy!" She squealed through giggles, focusing all her strength on pushing his hands away. He slowly released her, leaving her breathless and red-faced as she fell backwards on his cold sheets, recovering from his assault._

" _You asked for it." He shrugged, watching in amusement as she regained her lost air._

" _It was so worth it," She heaved, holding her sore stomach and sitting up in her previous position. "You should've seen your face."_

" _Whatever." He sighed, having a sudden need to change the topic. "Can we do something?"_

" _Like what?" She asked, taken aback at his quick topic change._

" _I don't know, just something to get my mind off…" He trailed, waiting for her to put the last piece of the sentence together by herself. He'd rather not mention the blonde's name again. It would risk another 'nickname chant' from Elena._

" _Okay, we could…" She broke off in thought, knowing she had already pushed his buttons today. "We could go to the roof?" She suggested. 'The roof' was their little spot on the flat roof of the school. They found a way to get through the always locked fire-escape leading to it and it had been their place ever since._

" _She stays back after cheerleading practice, remember? I'd rather not." He shrugged, making the reason he didn't want to go as casual as possible._

" _Alright...we could watch a movie?"_

" _If it's Disney, I'm out." He stared at her blankly, unprepared to sit through another musical this week._

" _Fine, we won't watch a movie." She grunted, emphasising the 'fine' as if it had deeply hurt her. "Uh...Oo! You could draw me something again!" She exclaimed, grabbing his book and tools from his school bag and tossing them on the bed before he could protest._

" _It's called 'sketch' and I did that last week." His eyes narrowed on the book, not in complete protest but not in happiness either._

" _So? I'm working on a display at the moment," She raised her brows in the direction of her neatly arranged collage with only five little pieces up there so far. "And I've got the next one already thought up."_

" _Oh yeah? And what would that be? More_ rainbows and unicorns _?" He asked sarcastically. He didn't expect much, her creative skills not ranging much farther than that._

" _I want one of us." She rolled her eyes at his crude assumption, bouncing back on the bed in a hurry._

" _How am I supposed to sketch myself?"_

" _Just copy a photo of us." She stated, pulling her little flip phone out and picking their cutest photo; they were lying on the bed, her hair sprawled, overlapping his as they smiled exaggeratedly, their eyes creasing at the corners._

" _E…"_

" _Pwease Damey? For mwe?" She asked, threatening to further tease him._

" _Only if you promise not to call me that."_

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

It wasn't just the sketches, it was the events that happened before them. It was what led up to them and why they were composed.

Before she knew it, she was back on her feet. Except instead of getting out of her mental nightmare, she was veering towards the wall cluster. By the time she had reached the display, she was ripping them off the wall, almost by instinct. She had removed three before stopping herself and glaring at what she had done in horror. She had torn the photograph. She had disrupted this peaceful, still room. But that wasn't even why she was gaping at the sight of a slightly torn sketch, the dry tape still attached to the edges. She had almost ripped right through the drawing of her and damon grinning on the bed. While she could have easily ripped it right in half from the now torn corner, she found herself scolding her previous action as if it was her most prized possession. The thought of actually tearing it hadn't even crossed her mind at this point. All she was thinking about was fixing the tiny tear and returning the three discarded sketches back to their exact positions.

"Tape, tape, where did I keep the blue tape? Tape," She chanted softly, rummaging through her bedside draws as quietly as she could. Struggling to locate it, her eyes searched frantically around the room. Having a small inkling about it, she edged towards the horse painting above her bed, kneeling gently on the mattress to check behind it; her favourite hiding spot when it came to things precious to her _–_ yes, the blue tape was important to her as a teen. Feeling around for it, she took hold of a rectangular object. As she swiftly pulled it out from behind the work, her eyes blurred as they fell over it. Her old diary. It looked just as the room did before she ruined her display _–_ perfect. After a good look and feel of the engraved 'E' on the green leather, she wanted to burn the damned thing. But god knows she'd never have the strength to do that. Swallowing profusely, she shook her head at the item and returned it, finding the tape lying next to where she had pulled the book from.

Erasing the encounter with the old heirloom from her mind, she hurriedly cut seven small strips. After patching up the rip from the back, she carefully arranged each artwork, making sure to triple check the tape was landing on the exact marks where the previous tape had taken off the pastel paint.

Now what? Right. She needed to get changed. But first, she needed to re-shower. Yes, re-shower, because now she had Damon all over her hands. She had the cells he had left embedded on the white art paper where he had smudged the lead with his thumb to shade the area. If people knew this was her regular procedure whenever she thought she had come in contact with something he had, they'd call her a crazy, but in all truth, the only way she remained sane was this exact method, so she wasn't going to give up on it now. Besides, it was early am and it wasn't like she had anywhere to go yet.

* * *

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

" _What's your favourite part of my body?" She asked smoothly, wanting to know just for the heck of it as well as the more important reason._

" _I like every part of you." He laughed because she was asking him to choose between so many. How can one make a choice like that?_

" _Okay, Mr. Smooth Talker!" She rolled her eyes as she thought about how she wanted it to look. It had to be done in a pretty form, but more importantly, in the right place. "But if you had to choose one?"_

" _I can't!" He shook his head stubbornly. There were too many good parts of her. But if he really thought about it, it narrowed down to three. First, you had her little nose creases. The tiny little ridges on her button nose that would enlarge when she'd laugh. It just warmed him inside every time and made him appreciate the little things in life. Then, there was the niche in the middle of both her breasts. The dip that sat right in the middle, like a valley of warmth and heaven. The epitome of the sexiest things on earth - Elena's breasts. Lastly but definitely not least, there was the back of her neck. The very spot that would curl forward when he'd show it affection. The spot that was covered when her long voluptuous hair was out, and revealed when it was up. It was like his fingers were made to urge the goosebumps they did when he ran them there, working rhythmically with his skilled tongue to make her tremble._

" _Damon stop being annoying and choose!" She demanded, knitting her eyebrows crossly. "Or at least give me a few and I'll choose where I want it."_

" _Fine, I'll show you." He clenched his teeth, pulling her waist so she was sitting on his lap in front of the waiting table. "I like you here," he whispered as he slipped his hand under his jumper she claimed as her own - choosing to skip the first spot as it was impractical in this instance. She inhaled sharply as he pressed his thumb in the ridge in between her breasts, rubbing softly invoking her reaction._

" _D-damon…" She swallowed, intending to warn him about PDA – especially of this kind. But before she could continue, he had enveloped her left one in his palm, keeping his thumb in the niche._

" _Of course these are spectacular," He smirked against her ear. She felt his lips upturn from the previous straight face he had on the skin behind her ear. "but this…" he released her breast, returning all his attention back to that middle ridge. "this is spectactular-er." A short giggle left her lips as he took the same hand that was under her shirt a second ago, out and up to the back of her neck. Only Damon could make her laugh and wet at the same time. "I like you here too," he breathed heavily against her sensitive skin, intentionally urging the goosebumps he worshipped so much to arise, his thumb ensuring they stayed there. "because a single touch," he almost mouthed as his finger tapped on the sensitive point gently. "and you go crazy."_

" _D-da…" She mumbled as if she didn't have the strength to finish the word while he moved the hand down to underneath her denim skirt. With the same thumb he pressed gently over her panties, the moisture soaking through._

" _And I like you here...and if it was up to me..." He trailed, leaving a wet kiss on the second mentioned favourite place of his, keeping the finger lodged firmly against the most sensitive part of her. "but I'm sure you don't want it there." He finished, his finger lingering for a second before he veered away from her nether region and back up to the desk. He chuckled as he noticed the small droplets of liquid left on the table in front of them as he sat the thumb he'd used to affect her on the corner._

" _So, where will it be?" The man walked over and asked her, giving them more than enough time to decide. She blinked a few times before standing off Damon's lap._

" _Uh...I'll go with the back of my neck." She nodded, glancing back at Damon quickly, confirming her decision._

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

She leaned forward, studying the huge zit that had just appeared on her forehead. Great. It had probably arisen from all the stress she had put herself under in her old room. Unzipping her little makeup bag, she grabbed her concealer and applied it all over the red spot. After that was covered, she knew what was next. Tying her hair up into a high bun, she studied _it_ , unsure _–_ as most days _–_ whether to cover it or let it be seen. And as always, she covered the numbers up, blending as well as she could to make it look like her skin had been untouched.

That would do.

She could always get it removed or cover it up with a different one, but it's easier said than done. Every time she had gone to a parlor, she backed out before the needle could pierce her skin. It meant too much to her. Of course seeing it all the time reminded her of that horrible day, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Exactly like she couldn't bring herself to rip those sketches in half. But in this case, it was a permanent reminder of how stupid she was and that she'll never trust him again. It was her warning signal. And maybe that's why she needed it so much.

But it wasn't just a reminder of the day it all went to shit. It was also, a memory of him that as much as she should have let go of, didn't want to. A tattoo, not only on her skin, but on her mind. Removing it wouldn't change that. It would forever stay imprinted in her brain tissue. So what was the point anyway?

Of course she was looking at the black inked '16' on the back of her neck, she got for his eighteenth birthday. Well, he got one too, but on his forearm. They weren't exactly matching due to the misplacement, but it was more practical for hers not to be seen a much since she was planning on going to med school at the time.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

" _Do I really need to keep this blindfold on?" Damon scoffed, lifting the bottom corner up to take a peek of his surroundings as she guided him by his arm down the quiet street. She decided she'd wake him up and go early in the morning because they had to get ready for his party later on. Yes, on top of everything else she had in store for today, she also planned him a party - he would do that for her, wouldn't he?_

" _Yes, It's a surprise!" She insisted, flicking his wrist away from the black fabric around his head. She had wrapped an old black t-shirt of his around his head since he refused to give her one of his Italian silk ties._

" _You know I hate surprises." He muttered, annoyed._

" _You're gonna love this one," She said, pressing her lips against their intertwined hands. "trust me."_

" _Do we have much further?" He persisted, forcing the smile that urged at his lips when she kissed him to stay hidden._

" _Not far now." She assured._

" _Thank god."_

" _Okay, stop." She spoke up after another minute or so walk, pulling him to a halt and allowing him to see again as she untied the fabric from his head. "Happy Birthday!"_

" _Are you serious?" He asked excitedly, not sure if this was a practical joke she was playing on him or she was being dead serious. He tried to keep his composure as she peered at his face to see his reaction. He had been trying to convince her since they were sixteen that when they were legal for tattoos, they'd go get them together. She was always hesitant, but she wanted to give him the best birthday present ever and it meant a lot to him. And no doubt, it'd mean alot to her once they had them done._

" _You always talked about when we turned eighteen, so…"_

" _E, I'm eighteen, you're not." He shook his head at her, letting his usually shy practical side take control for a second._

" _Okay, but, consider this: I will be in a week, and I don't care." she rolled her eyes at his new attitude. Since when was he practical in the slightest? It was like their roles had reversed completely. "We're going to do this."_ _He pulled her by the waist to stand in front of him, gripping her cheeks and planting a kiss on her unprepared lips as a thank you. "Now, I know you're older than me," She pulled away, then leaned back in immediately, leaving quick kisses in between every pause. "as of today," She continued, pulling on his shirt. "but I already had something in mind."_

" _And what would that be? A unicorn? Oo! A rainbow?" He questioned, raising a brow. So she was down to go get matching tattoos on his birthday, on the condition that he let her choose? Now he was intrigued. "Both?!"_

 _She rolled her eyes at his usual assumptions with her creativeness before holding her arms crossed in front of her face, one hand making a '1' symbol and the other in a '6' shape._

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

It didn't matter anyway, right? She was pretty sure she heard from Caroline or Bonnie or rather that he got his tattoo removed a year or two ago, so if he hadn't cared enough to leave it there, why had she cared so much to not let it go when all it did was hurt her? That was a question she'd never have the answer to. It was just something she couldn't do. She physically couldn't do it.

After the black numbers were as covered as they were going to get, she released her hair, letting it cascade down her upper torso. The hair would cover the ink anyway, but if she decided to tie her hair up in the middle of the day, she didn't want someone she knew to probe her questions, or worse, Damon to see if she ended up running into him again. Back in New York, if she left the apartment with her hair down, she wouldn't bother covering it up, but here, she took extra precaution for reasons that didn't need further explanation.

Noticing it was almost ten, she decided she'd leave early since everyone was still asleep. She grabbed the spare pair of house keys, and shoved them in her little purse before heading out.

* * *

"Hey!" Both Bonnie and Caroline squealed excitedly as they entered the store. Thank god they had finally arrived. Elena had been sitting in the little waiting area for half an hour now, soaking up the putrid smell of nail polish and staring at the ground. Granted she had arrived half an hour early, unsure of how to spend time at _home_ with everyone sound asleep.

"Hey." She smiled, immediately standing up to pounce into their arms. As she hugged them both tightly, she found herself using them for support. Who knew sitting in the same position for thirty minutes numbed your behind?

"How long have you been here?" Bonnie asked as Caroline confirmed they had arrived for their 11am appointment for three with the lady at the desk.

"Not long. Half an hour." Elena smiled as if it was no big deal. It wasn't really, she was just constantly keeping watch on the moderately busy street outside for that someone that she didn't want to see. That way, if she did spot him, she could run further into the store instead of being spotted herself.

"Half an hour?" Caroline snapped her head around from the desk.

"Yeah. Is that bad?" Elena asked as the lady led them to their seats for their pedicures.

"No, I just thought you would've left later." She shrugged, taking her seat. They were arranged so that Elena was in the middle, probably so they could bombard her with questions about what had happened in the one day they hadn't seen her. And for an update on whether she ran into Damon again.

"Yeah everyone was asleep so I just left early." Elena explained, pulling her sandals off and plonking her feet into the hot water below her. She didn't really understand why they had to go get their toes done. They could have just had a catch up session at one of their houses, but she wasn't going to complain. She hadn't had them done since high school, being unable to afford the luxury and all. Maybe she needed to pamper herself.

"Anyway...how was the first day in Mystic Falls?" Bonnie asked slyly.

"Oh come on guys you can just ask." She laughed, knowing exactly what they really meant.

"Did you see 'he-who-shall-not-be-named' again?!" Caroline blurted, both their faces filled with wonder as they stared at her.

"...Yes." She gritted her teeth, not wanting to further explain. She knew she would have to though, so she elaborated. "I saw him at the mechanic and at the grocery store with Jeremy."

"Well, what happened?!" Bonnie asked this time.

"Nothing." She shrugged nonchalantly. "He offered to drive me home again, but I _–_ "

"Hold up! Again? A-G-A-I-N?" Caroline gasped, spelling out the word. Shit. She wasn't planning on sharing that detail. "Meaning he's done it before?"

"The first time was after the reunion." She sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"What? How did that even happen?" Bonnie questioned, tugging on her hand in anticipation. Wow, she hadn't thought her life was that interesting, but if her friends were clinging onto her every word _–_ and arms _–_ it must have been worth sharing.

* * *

"Elena...Are you okay?" Caroline asked softly, both of the girls rubbing Elena's arms. After she had been through seeing Damon again, the whole thread of emotions, and this morning's events came flowing out of her mouth like word vomit and she just couldn't stop. The girls had stopped asking questions a while ago, sitting in silence as she blabbered on and on about things they didn't really understand.

"I don't even know what 'okay' is anymore." She stated blankly, slowly slipping her painted feet back into the sandals. The polish wasn't dry yet, but at this point, she wanted to go home and cry. She didn't want to be seen by all these ladies in the shop and she didn't want to hold _them_ back anymore. If she was careful, the polish wouldn't smudge. "Sorry guys, I'm gonna go. I have to help Jenna make lunch anyway."

"Oh...okay. Well we'll see you in the next few days, right?" Bonnie inquired hopefully, staying still in her chair. They both figured if they offered to drive her, she'd say no anyway, so they just sat back, not wanting to push her.

"Of course." She grinned through her wet eyes. They weren't tears, per se, but if anyone asked her if she was okay again, tears they would become.

"See ya, 'Lena." Caroline smiled warmly.

"Bye." She waved, throwing her purse over her shoulder and paying her share, quickly walking out. After she exited the store, she wanted to go home as quickly as she could, so she walked briskly down the narrow shopping strip, keeping her head down and trying not to attract any unwanted attention, and for the first time when she had left the safety of her old home, he had not been confronted by him, and she was happy about it.

* * *

Elena was glad she could visit the Mystic Grill again. It was Mystic Falls' most visited...well what even was it? It was mix between a bar and a shitty restaurant? Whatever, she went there with her friends most of her teenage life.

There was a high risk of 'running into' people she didn't want to talk to, see, or interact with in any way, but that was anywhere here. Besides, she'd take the risk to sink her teeth into one of their famous train-wreck burgers again.

The lead up to the visit to this place she connected deeply with was difficult. She had many doubts about entering the building again, but as soon as she stepped in, everything fell away and she was sixteen again, prying alcohol out of the bus boys.

"Elena!" Jenna yanked her arm forward and moved her rigid body from the doorway.

"Sorry, I was just...I miss this place." She smiled warmly, stepping forward and out of the walkway. "Mmm, I miss that smell." She smiled, closing her eyes and letting the scent of pub food surround her.

"I'll go order, you stay put." Jenna directed her, sitting her down on a stool on a high table. Elena would much rather sit in a dark booth so nobody would recognise her, but instead, she pulled the clip out of her hair and let it fall down her back, a contrast to her cool toned skin. She leaned forward, letting the strands cover the sides of her cheeks, making sure she was as unrecognisable as possible.

As she kept an eye out for people to avoid, she scanned the large room. She slowly analysed from left to right, checking every booth and every table for them. Then she spotted them. The two people she really didn't want to see, especially together; Damon and Rebekah, sitting at the bar. By first glance, they looked like a perfectly functional couple and Elena was surely convinced. Until she did a mental zoom-in and brought out her inner detective from years ago. He wasn't even looking at her, staring right past the blonde's perfectly blow dried hair to a pillar on the wall behind her. Even not looking at her, his blue pools for eyes were filled with disgust. He also probably wasn't listening, judging by his stiff stance and the fact that he was sitting three feet away from her. The original exterior of the 'happy couple' was now thrown out the window and suddenly they weren't even a couple at all. The soft speech Rebekah looked like she was taking was now revealed to be pure anger, as she tried with that horse face she put on when she was angry to be passive aggressive towards him and not attract attention. Elena edged to the front of her seat, cupping her ear under her hair to try and capture some of the witches' words. She could slightly make out; "What happened to...Do you even _–_ "

"Hey, gorgeous." A boyish voice asked from next to Elena, making her jump in her chair.

"Not interested, sorry." She answered as she pushed the hair that had naturally tucked itself behind her ears back in front of her face without looking at the guy.

"You used to be." He pursed his lips, sitting on the seat next to her. _Used to be?_ She looked up, sighing heavily as she realised this was not a kid trying to pick her up, but rather, her ex that she tried to avoid on the night of the reunion; Matt.

She felt like saying _'I was never interested'_ , but that probably would have provoked his alter ego and he would've flipped out on her in front of all these people. So she opted for; "Well, I'm not now."

"What happened to us?" He inquired, scooting his stool as close to hers as possible. She couldn't help but compare her and Damon's situation - assuming that's what Rebekah was asking. We're they just like her and Matt? Over a long time ago with one of them pathetically still begging for more? As she let her mind wander in a direction she wasn't fond of, she found herself leaning away from Matt as the proxemics between them decreased.

"You fucked up, Matt. It was over a long time ago." She mumbled, barely conscious of the words she was speaking, narrowing her eyes on the two people she was convinced she didn't want to see. Now, she was staring at them.

"Babe, I'm sorry." He pouted, snaking his heavy arm around her waist, immediately snapping her out of her investigation.

"Don't touch me!" She bit, trying her best to push his stern arm off her. Damn, she wished she knew how to defend herself well. All she knew was the little Damon taught her all that time ago, and even if she could recall completely, their seated position prevented her from reaching the spot she needed to target.

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

 _Feeling happy that Elena had dumped Matt again, Damon strolled into the house, looking for Elena to congratulate her on her wise decision. Which probably meant he'd have to inform her of idiotic mistakes and give her a pep talk on why she couldn't take him back again. He passed his little brother on the way to his room, who informed Damon she was in their gym, lifting weights._

 _Slowly opening the door to their gym, his eyes immediately fell on the brunette in her tight active clothing, lifting a set of beginner weights on the bench press. Regulating his breathing from the sight of her toned body, he stepped in._

" _What, are you going to bench press a jock?" He questioned with a straight face, earning an eye roll from the newly active girl as she continued to lift._

" _Do you understand what's happening right now?" She asked with a shaky voice, not looking at him as he strode over to where she was laying. "Matt tried to force me into sex. He's a completely different person." She groaned as Damon walked behind her without words. His hands wrapped around the weight and she panted heavily as he pushed it down lightly. "What are you doing?" She asked hastily, as she finally looked up at the figure standing above her, struggling to beat him in this tug of war when all he was doing was putting slight pressure on the weight._

" _Helping you out." He smiled lightly at her struggling face._

" _Damon_ _–_ _" She whined, using all her strength to push the large dumbbell upwards._

" _Come on, Buffy." He teased, raising his brows at how even when she tried her hardest she couldn't move the weight. He wasn't even pressing hard; he was literally just holding it in the air._

" _Stop it!" She warned as she let out a final huff, releasing the bar and catching her breath as he placed it back on its rest. "I'm not sure which Salvatore I like better anymore."_

" _You called, I'm here. What's up, oh warrior princess?" He quipped, grabbing one of the practice target spears from the table behind him and pretending to pounce at her with it._

" _I wanna show Matt who's boss. That way I can fight back if threatens me again." She explained sitting up, her chest lifting up and down drastically as she regained her lost breath._

" _Whether he threatens you or not, bench pressing isn't going to help you." He shrugged, almost laughing at her naivety. Did she really think all she needed to do was lift some weights to be able to defend herself against her now ex boyfriend?_

" _Well what do I do then, Damon?" She asked seriously, looking him straight in the eyes as she stood up and regained all of her lost energy. "Every time I say something I think he'll snap at me. I feel like I'm going to break and I'm not gonna give him that satisfaction." She finished, stopping right in front of him with pleading eyes before turning to start another machine. She frowned in confusion when he caught her arm, turning her towards him again as he placed her flat palm right against the middle of his chest. Her heavy breathing returned when she felt his heart from the left side, pumping steady beats that felt like throbbing against her palm. "What are you doing?" She asked as calmly as she could as he moved her hand around the bone in the middle of his chest with her wrist._

" _Feel that?" He mumbled quietly, glancing up at her marveling face. "It's a sternum," He said, swallowing at the beginning to try and contain his nervousness at their proximity. "Solid plate of bone." Continuing, he kept his eyes on her dilated ones, running his tongue over his lower lip that had dried from the tension. Swiftly spinning her around so her back was against his chest, he kept his arm on her wrist. "Right here," He breathed as the other pressed on her upper stomach. "Just below the rib cage," He pressed on with his fingers, causing a gasp to leave her trembling lips. "Next to the spine," He rolled his fingers back slightly, following his own words as instructions as he edged his face closer to hers, practically whispering the words into her ear. "That's your way to his heart." He finished his tutorial, releasing his hand from her rib cage, but leaving a grip around her wrist. "I'll do whatever it is you need me to do, Elena." He nodded against her ear, pulling back and releasing her arm so she could turn to face him now. "No one's gonna hurt you." Damon promised, gazing into her still very confused eyes for extra effect on what he was promising. "Especially not that idiot."_

 _Staying in their position, their bodies nearly touching, she breathed out loudly, her dilated pupils returning to normal size as he broke his gaze away, effectively breaking her hypnotism. Shaking her head a little as she fully processed the whole order of events that took place, he stepped away from her. "Wait...to his heart? Damon, I'm not gonna kill him, are you mad?"_

" _Oh isn't that what we we're planning?" He asked innocently, knowing that's not what she meant._

" _No! How is this gonna help me?" She yelled, ignoring the things he said about doing anything for her and that no one was going to hurt her._

" _Fine, I'll teach you how to fight. First lesson is tomorrow morning." He rolled his eyes with a chuckle at her outburst a second ago._

" _Thank you." She stated exasperatedly, grabbing her bottle of water._

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

"Come on," He whined, pulling her hand over his obvious manhood. She was so sick of this shit. How had she not found anyone better than 'Mr. Sleazy Pants', as Damon used to jest?

"Hey _Dick_ ovan, how about you fuck off?"

* * *

 **HOPE U LIKED IT! I know I left it on sort of a cliffhanger but I'm sure you can all guess who said that line! Also pt.2 of this chap is so much more interesting so if you want to see what happens next soon, I would get reviewing!**

 **I referenced some things in this chap and those are**

 **1\. Katy Perry's; The One That Got Away (which inspired the matching tattoos and the title)**

 **3\. TVD 3x06 Delena scene**

 **Anyway! See ya soon! And remember R-E-V-I-E-W!**


	6. La La Land

**A/N: PLS READ THIS!**

 **Hey guys! I am very happy to say I got over ten reviews on the last chapter so as promised, here is the second part of that chapter! I haven't written most of the next chapter so don't expect that until next week but don't let it stop you from reviewing! I know it's slack to say I will hold back my work until I get a certain amount of reviews, but TBH I don't have much time anymore since I'll be in year 12 soon, so if I do get over ten reviews each chapter, I will try and prioritise writing over other things. It's not that I don't enjoy writing, because it is literally my pride and joy, but if not enough people are reading it, I won't prioritise it over other things. I hope you understand!**

 **Anyway, thank you to all who reviewed! Please review this week again and I encourage people who didn't review (even if you don't have a account) to review because it lets me know more of you readers are actually enjoying my content. With that said, even negative reviews are fine, but please make sure they are constructive and not just rude. Thank you :)**

 **This pt.2 of the other chapter was shorter by about 1000 words and is one of my shortest yet because while I could add some of the next chapter onto this one to make it longer, I think that's where I should cut off this chapter. It makes more sense to start from the point I do in the next chapter. So without further ado, enjoy! Let's go from where we left off, shall we?**

* * *

"Hey _Dick_ ovan, how about you fuck off?" Smiling at himself for his quick wits, Damon stepped forward in attempt to threaten the piece of work in front of him. Of course he was referring to Matt. Elena, had...issues, but she was still a pure little angel in his eyes, even if she did commit the horrendous betrayal of leaving him.

"After you, Salvatore." Matt laughed intently as if his come back was nearly as good as Damon's opener. "Tell him to go, Elena." He demanded her now, turning his back to the agitated Damon as he stroked her arm roughly.

"Hey, don't touch her." Damon warned aggressively, almost spitting from how much his teeth had clenched together. He had involuntarily jerked forward, intending to pounce on the drunken idiot if he decided to try anything more.

"You're not friends anymore," Matt reminded, putting Damon back in his place. As much as Damon wanted to rip the dick's head off his torso, he was right. This wasn't his place. It was Elena's choice to make and she hadn't asked for any help. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to say fuck it and rejoin his previous boring conversation. Even if they weren't friends, he felt like a protective companion, owing it to her. "you can't tell her what to do."

"Well I can, and I say don't fucking touch me." She snapped back at Matt's assumption that she'd all of a sudden be extremely interested, nodding at Damon for his help even if she didn't want it. Because she did need it. Without him, she probably would have been dragged into the bathrooms and brutally 'punished' for refusing the dimwit she called her boyfriend not too long ago. She did wish Damon was anyone else at this point, but she couldn't not be grateful for her saviour.

"Elena..." Matt started, tightening his grip on her waist and causing an involuntary squeal to jerk out of her.

"If you don't let go of her in the next three seconds, I swear to god, I will kill you." Damon threatened in all seriousness, stepping right up to his seat and edging his face as close to his as possible.

"Alright, have her." Matt exhaled after a moment of silence, completely willing to leave now after he realised the legitimacy of his threat. He knew Damon was stronger than him, and now that he had a motive, he would surely deliver on his promise. "Sleaze." Matt coughed under his breath as she stood up drunkenly and stumbled towards the door. That was the last straw. Damon felt his enragement building in his fists as he clenched his jaw tightly, turning around to subject the bastard to his mighty rage.

"Don't." Elena growled harshly, stopping Damon in his tracks. He froze in his position, slowly retracting his action as if he was a rewinding a tape. Right...it wasn't his place. It was Elena's call and as much as he couldn't care less about her stupid compassion right now, he had to respect her choice.

He exhaled loudly, calming himself down. She sat back on her stool, hoping he wouldn't take Matt's previous seat. "Are you okay?" He muttered after a long halt, allowing them both to simmer down.

"I'm fine." She answered quickly, not wanting to further the conversation either. She tucked her hair behind her ear now, letting him see her face. She had no one to try and hide from anymore, she didn't see the point.

"You don't look fine." He chuckled dryly at her rude disposition. Would it hurt her to be a little nicer to the guy that saved her from her horny ex? Whether she liked him or not?

"Then stop looking." She shrugged, intending to stand off the stool and find Jenna. At this point, she'd starve before she'd stay here and talk to the blue eyed man in front of her.

"I was just trying to help." He insisted, gesturing her to stay seated.

"I know. And I'd like to say I didn't need it, but I did, so thank you." She said with gratitude, standing up abruptly. "But you aren't my friend, and you definitely aren't my boyfriend, so don't act like you are." She finished, reverting the thankful tone she had previously attained back to her original rude one.

"So, I'm a stranger?" He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief at her audacity. Obviously she was riled up and agitated from the recent events and Damon _wasn't_ her favourite person in the world, but no matter how bad the situation was, the old Elena always stayed calm and collected. Maybe she truly had changed - and for the worst.

"I don't kn–"

"No, what is it?" He asked rudely now, mocking her standoffish tone. "Unless someone cares about you, they don't leave their conversation to save you from 'Mr.-doesn't-understand-the-concept-of-personal-space'."

"You mean that 'deep conversation' you were having with barbie over there?" She scoffed back, laughing at his example. "What were you even talking about?" She inquired, wanting to know for her own personal investigation on unravelling Damon and Rebekah's current relationship status. Although it shouldn't have meant anything to her, she found herself treating it as if it was the latest scandal and she was the journalist documenting it, processing the information given and creating possible scenarios about their relationship until she found the most logical one. But being so caught up in the inspection and the extremely blue eyes penetrating her sanity, she found it difficult to decipher between logical and illogical.

"Don't avoid the question." Rolling his eyes, he sighed deeply at her repeated action.

"Yeah," She nodded, answering his original question. She decided to drop the examination and let it unravel itself, because she was getting too attached emotionally. "Yeah, you are." She repeated, shrugging her jacket over her shoulders and grabbing Jenna, who had collected the food from the bar.

"Hey," He called, following her to the exit. "Hey, E! Elena, wait."

"What do you want?!" She yelled, making a full 180 and stopping right in front of his face.

"I'll be in the car..." Jenna mumbled, stepping out.

"I'm sorry." He swallowed, stepping back and distancing himself from her for both of their sanities. "Maybe I can make it up to you. Are you going to the fair?"

"Fair?" She shook her head at his question. The randomness threw her off a bit as she critically analysed his statement. What did maybe mean? What was he suggesting? Why was he so hell bent on spending time with her?

"The county fair, you don't remember it?"

/ / / / / / / / / /

 _He swung his heavy arms downwards, the heavy mallet colliding with the small metal target below him. Standing back, her snarled at the machine. There was no way he didn't even make it halfway. Her giggles behind him made him mock her inherently, dropping the hammer as he crossed his arms._

" _Shut up, Elena, it's broken." He groaned after watching her snicker quietly to herself for a good two minutes, trying not to hurt his feelings with her uncontained amusement. He rolled his eyes in two full circles when she didn't stop, instead, releasing a hearty chuckle at his defensiveness._

" _You don't need to try and impress me, it's okay if you can't win." She tried to assure him through little laughs, patting his arm comfortingly. "I don't want a huge stuffed teddy anyway."_

" _Well you're getting one, cause I'm not leaving until I get it for you." He shrugged nonchalantly as if it hadn't affected him. He was extremely affected. In fact, he was so affected he needed to prove that he was macho enough to beat a carnival game. "Stand back." He warned, his face pruned in concentration as he lifted the mallet over his head. Damon lunged forward quickly, his force wreaking havoc as his arms flexed with defined veins as he hit the little metal target. Elena raised her brows at the carnival game, unbelieving of what he had just done._

" _Now it's broken." She stated blankly, still amazed at his strength. He had hit it so hard the siren wouldn't stop going off, bystanders blocking their ears from the ringing noise._

" _Laughing now?" He grinned, dropping the heavy rubber hammer and flexing his muscles with pride. Her mouth fell slightly open as her eyes fell on the tensed arm, studying the throbbing veins. "More like gaping now?" He laughed, his natural cockiness taking over as she mindlessly made her way to the flexed arm, reaching out with her hand to feel it. "Hey, Elena," He laughed now, unsure of whether she was actually okay, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "I know I'm dashing, gorgeous, and not to mention; irresistible, but it's rude to stare."_

" _I'm not staring." She shook her head lightly, ducking under his still flexed arm and walking towards the prize pool._

" _Alright, looky McGee." He chuckled, following closely behind. "No! Don't go for the huge teddy! That's so cliché, Elena."_

" _Fine, you pick." She shot him a mocking look, crossing her arms stiffly over her chest._

" _Fine," He scoffed playfully, tossing the massive blue fluffy bear she had picked out into the prize bin as he edged closer to her so she was backed up against the container. "I will."_

" _Fine." She raised her brows at his action, feeling slightly short of breath as he violated her personal space._

" _Good." He shrugged, pouting his lips in a 'whatever' motion._

" _Good."_

 _"Great."_

" _Great." She smiled as he moved as close as he could get, her body completely pressed against his. She leaned back at the lack of space, stumbling on the large prize container behind her, and belatedly gripping the wooden edge to prevent completely falling in._

" _Super."_

" _Fantastic."_

" _Spectacular." He articulated distinctly, speaking the words almost on her lips and making sure not to lean into them, effectively driving her crazy._

" _Spectacular….er" She trailed, losing track of thought as he smirked on her face._

" _Ha. I win." He laughed humourlessly, stepping back proudly at his completed mission, earning him an eye roll from the brunette._

" _Just choose."_

" _Fine, This one." He pouted, picking a small little brown bear out from the back of the wooden container. She smiled at the size, actually preferring it over the big blue one. This way she'd be able to take it with her everywhere._

" _Fine." She smirked, hugging it into her chest as he wrapped an arm around her and they finally left the stand._

" _Good."_

" _Good." She said genuinely, dropping the playfulness as he finally claimed her previously teased lips._

/ / / / / / / / / /

"Probably not." She stated belatedly, blinking rapidly to pull herself back from her daydream. For a second she had enjoyed her little memoir, relishing it for as long as she could before she was forced to accept the reality. But now that she had come back, his face this close to hers didn't make her and to coil her arms around his neck tightly and kiss his lips so hard that one of them started to bleed. Now, those pools of blue staring at her in confusion made her feel sick in the stomach and she'd do anything to get out.

"To going, or to remembering it?" Damon chuckled at her hazy state, noticing that she had paused for a significantly long time before giving him her answer. He had stayed silent the entire time she was looking off into the distance, knowing full well by the faint pull upwards at the corner of her mouth that she was daydreaming.

Picking up the fact that he had witnessed her moment of weakness, she stood up straight in attempt to make herself look less vulnerable. As she quickly thought out her answer to his question, not wanting to say the wrong thing and allow him to infiltrate her piece of mind that was currently hanging on by a thread, subconsciously she wondered if he could still see the heart of her. If he could still notice when she she was feeling certain emotions. Right now, it was confusion, weariness, disgust and unsettlement that was running through her, but while she was in her 'happy place' it was love and warmth among other better emotions. He used to be able to figure out exactly what she was feeling with a single look. Now, while his cobalt bored into her chocolate eyes in the same way he used to when he was reading her, she wondered if he was able to pick them up. The emotions.

"I probably won't go." She decided, returning completely to reality and forcing the smile that had appeared on her lips when she was living in _La La Land_ into a downturn. _Get a grip, Elena, you_ hate _him._

"Why not? We used to go every year." He questioned, concern on his face as he asked himself what he had done now. Was the kind offer really taken offensively?

"Precisely." She swallowed at the thought of the collection of years they spent together she had left behind, crossing her arms and appearing more standoffish than before - if that was even possible.

"You know you don't have to stop yourself from having fun while you're here because of me." He said genuinely, forgetting all she had put him through when she left and putting her and all her emotions before his once again. He actually felt guilty for suggesting that they'd maybe see each other at the fair, so much so, that he'd not go, just so she could enjoy herself why she was in town. What had she done to him?

"Yes, Damon," She started, rolling her eyes at his naivety. The tables had indeed turned and she wasn't the naive little girl she used to be. Instead, it was like he was the little boy who knew no bad in the world. But that was completely wrong. He knew bad, because he did bad by her and nothing could change his level of innocence. "I do. Because I can't go anywhere in this stupid town without a rush of memories coming back. I can't stay in my old room for more than five minutes. I have to cover up the stupid tattoo on my neck because I can't bare to look at it for more than ten seconds." She explained with a hoarse voice, her eyes veering towards his toned arms to look for the same symbol. She paused for a moment, her pupils frantically darting over his exposed muscles, searching for the distinct ink. Trying not to faint from the mesmerising sight, she sighed in relief, noticing the top half of the number 1 on his forearm. She immediately scolded herself for being relieved the mark was there, knowing she should have been searching for its absence. But it was like she needed it to be there. No matter how her feelings towards him had changed in the past five years, the sight of it there made her feel welcome. Just like her, he had deliberately chosen to keep it there, meaning it meant something to him. However, no matter what the little symbol still being there indicated, it still couldn't change her perspective on him. She already knew he still cared about her, the un-removed tattoo just reinforced her own knowledge. No matter how much he still cared and how much he cared back when he really hurt her, he still hurt her. So after she had her moment with the memory, she remembered why it didn't matter - or why it shouldn't matter. "Until two days ago, I couldn't even pass over the border of my own home town. Every time I see the number sixteen, it's like another piece of my sanity is torn away. So, yes, I do have to stop myself from having fun in your presence, or anywhere we went together. But you at the fair."

"You still have your tattoo?" He thought, not realising he was thinking out loud. Of course he heard everything else she said and it cut him, deep, but if she was completely gone and over him, she would have removed it by now, just like he couldn't remove the damned thing. It would stay there until she had truly moved on. His lips upturned at the idea of there being a chance that she still felt something for him. His whole body warmed and his skin flushed with colour. Screw her _boyfriend_ , he was going to do anything and everything in his power to get her back.

"Goodbye, Damon." She scoffed in tire, pivoting the other way and leaving the giddy, rosy-cheeked man standing there, unknowing that she left.

* * *

The whole car ride _home_ Jenna did nothing but probe Elena with questions about her recent encounter. As much as she wanted to shut her aunt up, she wasn't letting up this time. She didn't want to talk about it. That was final. When they finally got home, she was ready to go to bed without eating. Her run in really threw her appetite out the window. But the three other goers in the house had to eat and she wouldn't go to bed without tucking him in tonight. She was already guilty enough for the first night, she had to make it up to him. Whatever it took.

The smell of stale burgers brought her appetite back and in an hour, they had finished the feast. Elena rushed Dylan upstairs against his protests to stay and finish his masterpiece with Jer. That would have to wait 'till tomorrow. Peeling back the plain quilt on top of her bed, she gestured him to lay down and he followed, this time without protest, knowing she was upset. She turned to put the lamp on the bedside table on, knowing well by now Dylan needed it to fall asleep. She couldn't complain, she used to be just the same.

"What's that?" He inquired, destroying the perfectly smoothed quilt as he shot up abruptly and stepped off the bed. He had run towards the stuffed animal display on Elena's old couch by the windowsill.

"What's what, Honey?" Elena asked absentmindedly, turning towards where he had run. All her sleepiness had faded away when her eyes bulged at the sight in front of her. The fact that Dylan had chosen the one little toy that was stuffed to the filling with all the memories of happier times was startling. She edged closer to him, eyes wide as he held 'Ms. Cuddles' in his hands.

/ / / / / / / / / /

" _What are you gonna name him?" Damon asked, watching intently as Elena scoffed the last of the stick of cotton candy down the hatchet. She had handed the bear over to him while she ate to make sure the new stuffed toy would stay in perfect tact._

" _Who?" She pouted in question, licking the tips of her fingers with the dissolved candy on them._

" _The little bear." He told her, taking her hand with the candy she hadn't licked yet and sucking on each finger one by one, moaning slightly at the sweet taste he didn't know why he insisted on skipping._

" _Oh, her." She nodded with a smile, correcting him for assuming the brown haired fluff ball would be a male. "Uh...Cuddles?"_

" _Wow Elena, how creative of you." He quipped, leaning back on the park bench and lifting his arms up around the rim._

" _Fine...Ms. Cuddles. Happy?" She raised her brows, snatching her newly named companion back into her chest._

" _Very." He smirked, leaning into her face. She leaning forward, her mouth parting slightly ready for his lips as she closed her eyes. Feeling his hot tongue swipe over the corner of her mouth, she jerked backward, scrunching her face into a little ball in disgust._

" _Gross, Damon!" She retorted as he giggled, relishing the taste of the pink sugar he just licked off her mouth._

" _What? You had cotton candy on your face. Besides, I practically have my tongue down your throat half the time anyway." He reasoned, surprised at how grossed out she was._

" _Yeah, down my throat, not my cheek!" She shuddered at the thought, leaning into his t-shirt to wipe the excess saliva off her jaw._

" _Fine, I'm sorry, here." He lied, putting on his best sappy face as he pulled her chin up, leaning in, only to swerve and swipe his tongue from her jawline to her temple, earning another, more powerful shriek and a newly picked up slap on the arm._

" _Dick." She muttered as she climbed over him, abandoning Ms. Cuddles on the seat. Her legs straddling him, she swung her tongue in all directions, trying to get him back for his two assaults._

" _What-are-you-doing?" He blurted out in a chuckle, dodging her fast tongue and covering his face so if she did get him it'd be on his hand._

" _Pay back." She grunted aggressively, treating this like a competition rather than a joke._

" _E, stop!" His reply was immediate when he saw her wet weapon jab at him again, almost infiltrating the target of his cheek._

" _No!" She bit back, moving her head in large motions to try and trick him and target another area. As much as her boyfriend could be slow, his responses were so fast even she was getting confused. As she saw him stick his hand up in front of his cheek, she took the opportunity to swoop for the chin. As she leaned forward, readying to launch her tongue onto his skin, seeing it coming, Damon leaned closer to her and caught her lips before they could eject the ambitious muscle. Being initially reluctant and shocked at his motion, his hands travelled from her thighs to her back under her cropped jumper, forcing her to succumb to the warm kiss and abandon her mission. Feeling pleased with himself, he smirked his own tongue into her tiny opening, winning on all levels as he licked the interior of her mouth. With no protest left in her body, she rocked herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and hands ruffling his previously neat hair with her long nails, earning a moan from him._

 _Although it was hard to hear through the excruciating kiss the two were having, the guard of a ride saying; "Last call for the Ferris Wheel!" penetrated their ears. Without words, Damon pulled away, gesturing Elena to get off of him as he grabbed the bear._

" _What?" She questioned, the cool air hitting her flushed face._

" _I promised you we'd kiss at the top of the Ferris Wheel." He stated, grabbing her hand and running to the machine. "So kiss at the top of the Ferris Wheel we shall."_

" _Who knew you could be such a sap?" She grinned widely as his grip pulled her with him._

/ / / / / / / / / /

Involuntarily, she snatched the bear from his arms, throwing it across the room before it infected her brain with more tooth-aching memories. After inhaling and exhaling profusely and calming herself down, she looked over at the frightened person in front of her. His blue pools for eyes were filled with shock and confusion and guilt immediately washed over her. "Dyl...I'm sorry I just...I don't like that bear." She tried to reason, wrapping her arms around his hesitant body in the most comforting way she could muster. Without a response, only heaving breathing below her, she pressed on. "Dylan I'm really sorry...I know what will cheer you up! Do you want to go to the fair tomorrow?" She asked hesitantly, knowing there was a significant possibility Damon could be attending because of her last words during their previous encounter.

"Fair?" He shot up, and immediately she had forgotten about the chance of another run in and was mentally patting herself on the back for her quick thinking tactics.

"Yeah, there's a carnival in town! We could go on rides and play games...get cotton candy–"

"Are we going?" He inquired, struggling to contain his excitement, practically leaping off the seat.

"Yep!" She grinned at him. Making him happy always put a smile on her face and warmed her inside, causing her completely forget about anything she was stressing about. "Come on, let's go to bed. We've got to get up early."

"Why aren't you sleeping with me tonight?" He asked, his prominent smile now a straight line on his face as he crawled into the sheets he had just ruined and she tucked him in again.

"Um...I don't...Aunt Jenna gets scared. I'm keeping her company." She stammered, the happiness he had just filled her with slowly exiting her body and leaving her deflated by the time she had come up with a good enough answer. She hated being away from him, especially in this new place – to him. She wanted him to feel as comfortable in her old house as possible, but compromising her sanity she had previously re-destroyed this morning all over again wasn't a pliable option. Suddenly she felt uneasy in the room again. His presence and the fact that she had been distracted helped her forget what room she was in or what it meant to her. But now she was reminded of why she couldn't sleep here, she needed to get out as soon as possible. "Don't worry when we get back to New York I'm all yours, okay? Goodnight."

"Night." He replied as she planted a lingering kiss on his forehead, smoothing his dark hair away from his face before heading to Jenna's room.

* * *

 **HOPe Y'all enjoyed that! Make sure to REVIEW! I'll see you sometime next week and if you have any questions in the meantime, make sure to pm me either here or on tumblr! My tumblr is in my author bio if you haven't already got it.**

 **Next week...THE FAIR! Super excited to give you that chap it's gonna be one hell of a ride!**

 **Just in case you were wondering, no the title of this chapter was not inspired from the motion picture La La Land. It's actually something I thought of from a Demi Lovato song she wrote when she did Camp Rock. And the 'fine', 'fine', 'good', 'good' stuff was from the Disney Channel show Sonny With A Chance and it was a constant banter thing between the characters 'Chad Dillon Cooper' and 'Sonny Monroe' (who was played by Demi Lovato). Shut up guys, I was obsessed with Disney shows...CHANNY was the original OTP along with TRABRIELLA and SHITCHIE. Jokes tho, DELENA is the otp of otps so dw**

 **ANYWAY, See ya soon x**


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